


Those Nephilim Days

by flutterby_cupcake_26



Series: Destiel family [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Siblings, Dean and Cas as parents, Fluff, Garth babysits, I suck at tags, M/M, Nephilim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 07:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 42,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5777542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flutterby_cupcake_26/pseuds/flutterby_cupcake_26
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Cassandra Teal: Castiel's temporary vessel, Cassandra, has been raising the nephilim they accidentally made during the time Castiel inhabited her body. But now Cassandra is gone, and Dean, Sam and Castiel are left trying to raise the baby, and hunt at the same time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the (probably equally awful) sequel to Cassandra Teal. My second Destiel story.
> 
> Some things I just wanted to put out there, because I have friends who read this - yes, I gave the little girl my name. It's not a self-insert, I just suck at naming characters, and since it means what it does (which Dean explains in the first chapter) I figured it worked well enough in the story. I always pictured her a little bit more like JJ, but with Dean and Cas' eyes, if you need a frame of reference. I hope knowing this doesn't put you off. Or my terrible writing. But anyway, I had finished this story before the 200th episode, when they had a character called Siobhan too. I totally freaked out lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it x

‘The little girl is through here. She’s not been the same since her mother died.’

 

Sam tweaked his suit as Dean followed the police officer into the interview room. Their latest case had brought them out near Pasadena, California. A woman had died of some mystical illness, and the only witness to the death was her young daughter. Dean had decided they should take the case, which seemed weak at best to Sam, but he knew his brother’s ulterior motive. He was here to try and see his own daughter, the one he and Castiel had managed to conceive when Castiel was borrowing a female vessel.

 

Sam didn’t know much about what had happened. Dean had refused, in the last few years, to discuss the whole situation. All Sam knew – and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t much – all Sam knew was that Dean and Castiel had decided not to continue their relationship until Dean was dead, and they would be together in their next life. He had a feeling Dean was in contact with Cassandra still, but again, Dean liked to pretend like that entire chapter of his life had never happened. Castiel was a little freer with Sam about discussing it, but he had his limits too, claiming that Dean would not be comfortable knowing Sam was privy to it all. Castiel watched over his daughter frequently, which was the entire reason Sam even knew if he had a niece or a nephew.

 

Sam followed Dean into the room, and sat beside him, in front of a tiny girl who could barely see over the table. She had fine, wispy brown hair, and very chubby cheeks. Her eyes startled Sam. One was as blue as the sky in the summer, or the sea around a tropical island, and the other was mossy green, deep and with a hint of brown. There was something in both of those eyes that suggested to Sam she knew more than she was able to express, more than a two-year-old should. She was clutching a teddy bear, and Sam was sure too, that the black beads of the bear’s eyes had some consciousness behind them. She looked up at the officer, as he carried on talking to the boys about the case. Dean was listening to him, talking back, asking questions, whatever. Sam was focused on the little girl, and the teddy bear whose head had definitely turned to look at the officer.

 

Did the teddy do it? It wouldn’t be the first time that he and Dean had met a bear with a conscience, after all. Hopefully this one didn’t drink what Dean had dubbed ‘girl drinks’ to deal with it’s depression.

 

‘Hey sweetie, what’s your bear’s name?’ Sam smiled at her, as Dean continued to find out about the case. Sam had always done better with little kids than Dean, after all.

 

‘Bear,’ she whispered. ‘She likes Bear.’

 

Sam tried to do some mental math. Could two-year-olds structure sentences like that?

 

‘Bear’s a good name. And if you called for him, you know exactly what to look for.’

 

She blinked at him. Maybe Sam was wrong, maybe this little girl was just a normal two-year-old.

 

‘So, my name’s Sam, what’s yours?’

 

She looked at the bear, and the bear looked back.

 

‘That’s a neat trick, huh? I think it’s one of those animatronic toys, it seems lifelike sometimes,’ the officer broke into the conversation, bringing Sam back into the real world.

 

‘Yeah, it’s so realistic. Um, do you mind if we talk to her on our own?’ Sam tried. ‘I know she’s in police custody, but she may open up more if there are fewer of us in the room.’

 

The officer checked his watch.

 

‘You have ten minutes.’ He looked at the little girl. ‘I’ll go and get you and the bear a juice box, okay honey?’

 

She didn’t nod, or shake her head, but watched him as he left the room. And then her eyes snapped to Dean.

 

‘Hello, Daddy.’

 

‘Hey, Princess. What happened to Mommy?’

 

Sam sat back in his chair, as the little girl looked around to the door, where the officer had left.

 

‘It’s okay, Princess. I know as much as Mommy did. Maybe more. Daddy Cas tells me a lot.’

 

The girl – Sam wished Dean would use her name – nodded slowly, and the bear started talking.

 

‘We don’t know what happened to Mommy. Daddy Cas promised that she’d be okay, and then she got hurt inside and then she died. And we couldn’t fix her. We tried!’

 

‘Yeah, I fixed a bird a week before Mommy died. Mommy said it was a good thing for the bird, but I had to make sure no one else saw. She said it was a secret princess power.’ She buried her face in the bear.

 

‘And it’s a good one. Was anyone else near Mommy? Did you call for help?’ Dean pushed.

 

The girl crumpled into tears, and Dean got up from his seat to cuddle her close. She clung to his neck tightly, and Sam tried to understand what he had just witnessed. This was Dean’s daughter, and she knew all about him. And he knew all about her, and Sam knew … nothing. Did she even know who Sam was? Why had Dean kept her so quiet? Had he been visiting her without telling Sam?

 

‘Okay, okay, this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to tell the officer the truth - that you’re my little girl - and you’re going to come home with us.’

 

She shook her head, slipping her thumb into her mouth.

 

‘No. Mommy says people don’t like you and Daddy Cas. They say mean things because you left me with Mommy. They’ll say no.’

 

‘Maybe I could do something?’ Sam cut in. Dean and his daughter turned to look at him with the same intense gaze.

 

‘Sam-‘

 

‘Seriously, Dean. I know nothing about her, and now there’s the possibility we have to have her in tow, but that’s better than leaving her in state custody, right? She’s half-angel.’

 

‘Is that Uncle Sam?’ Bear asked. Dean looked down at the toy.

 

‘Yes. And Bear, you need to stop talking, stop moving. They’ll take you away, tear you apart, try to work out how you work. You don’t want that, do you?’

 

‘Nononononono!’ The girl and the beat said together. Dean stroked her hair back from her face as the officer walked back in, a juice box in each hand.

 

‘Okay, I have apple and I have grape. Which flavor do you want, sweetheart?’

 

The girl shot a look at Bear for a moment, and then blinked back up at the officer.

 

‘Apple.’ She nodded, and let the officer open it up, as Dean spoke up, still squatting beside his daughter.

 

‘We’re going to have to place her into our own custody. Whatever happened with her mother seems to have traumatised her, we’ll need time to get to the bottom of it.’

 

‘But our case-‘

 

‘Is now an FBI investigation. You can give my colleague, Mr Tyler, the case notes. I’ll need her possessions.’

 

And with that, Dean scooped her up, Bear and all, and strode out of the room. Sam followed the officer to the file room to collect the case notes, and then to the property lock up where Dean was waiting with the little girl. Once they were loaded up with her suitcases, bags and car seat, they staggered out to the Impala, packing everything in wherever they could. Once they were in, Dean started driving further towards the west.

 

‘Where are we going?’ Sam asked.

 

‘Cassandra’s house. I want to check it out for clues.’

 

‘Is it going to be safe?’

 

Dean chuckled humorlessly.

 

‘Safe? We’re hunters, Sam, we don’t do safe.’

 

‘I meant, for-‘ Sam gestured to the backseat, to the little girl who was clutching Bear and staring out the window. ‘You know, I don’t know anything about her. Her name, her birthday, anything.’

 

‘That was a big jump.’

 

‘Stop avoiding the issue.’

 

Dean sighed.

 

‘I didn’t tell you anything because Cas and I figured, the fewer people who knew anything about her, the better. Cassandra knew we wanted that. She told people she was surrogate for a gay couple-‘

 

‘Which is kind of true,’ Sam pointed out.

 

‘Shut up. Anyway, the story is that my job changed and I had to travel a lot and although my partner worked freelance, he was very busy too. Cassandra’s idea. Look, I just want to check that there aren’t any demon neighbors. Of course we’re going to keep Siobhan safe.’

 

‘That’s her name?’

 

Dean shrugged.

 

‘Cas’ idea. It means God has been gracious, and he thought, since we had a kid and all, God must have been.’

 

Dean shrugged again, as Sam turned around to look at his niece again.

 

‘So, she talks like an adult. Sort of. And she can resuscitate small animals. She’s enchanted her bear-‘

 

‘She just gave him his life.’ Dean sounded off-hand. Obviously, Dean had seen Siobhan enough to be desensitized to Bear.

 

‘Is there anything else?’

 

Dean sucked in a breath.

 

‘You want a laundry list?’

 

‘It would be nice.’

 

‘Fine. She can read minds, and she can talk back to Cas without saying anything.  She only sleeps a little, and eats maybe once a day? Less than a normal human. She’s toilet trained already. And she’s secretly a princess.’

 

Dean grinned at his last comment, and Sam sighed in exasperation. Dean was clearly a doting Dad, when he could be bothered to see Siobhan, anyway.

 

‘She’s two, Sam. There’s probably more to come. Give her a break.’

 

Siobhan smiled at Sam, and then cuddled back into Bear. Sam looked back around, facing the front once again.

 

‘Is she going to be okay with us?’ Sam asked.

 

‘Uh-huh. I mean, I think she prefers Cas, but she’s been pretty clear that it’s Cas and me who are her parents. She called Cassandra “Mommy” to keep up pretenses. Same reason she calls Cas “Daddy Cas”. She’s a smart cookie. She’ll be okay with you as well, she knows all about Uncle Sam.’

 

‘What have you told her?’

 

‘A little of this, a little of that.’

 

‘Uncle Sam is a giant nerd. He loves books. He loves salad. Uncle Sam is borrrrrrrinnnnnnng.’

 

‘Bear!’ Siobhan sounded shocked. ‘Uncle Sam was nice to us!’

 

Dean was laughing in the driver’s seat, and Sam knew there was no way Siobhan – or the damn Bear – was getting told off. But Dean’s laughter faded, and Siobhan squeaked before curling up in her car seat. Sam looked around to see what had made both of them turn serious simultaneously, and saw that they were pulling up to a modest house, white picket fence and all. Sam didn’t need to ask where they were, he could tell by the bright pink-and-purple playhouse on the front yard that they were at Cassandra’s house. And someone else was already there.


	2. Chapter 2

It was Castiel. Castiel was standing on the porch by the front door, scanning the area. He didn’t move as Dean and Sam climbed out of the Impala, Dean walking around to the backseat to unclip Siobhan and Bear. He began speaking as Dean and Sam joined him.

 

‘I can’t see any demons, or any remains of angels. I just don’t understand what could have happened to Cassandra.’ Castiel shook his head, and then looked at the little girl in Dean’s arms, who was leaning across, almost falling out of Dean’s grip, stretching towards her angelic parent. Castiel took her happily. ‘I’m glad you made it out okay.’

 

She curled her head into his neck, and he rested his chin on her head. If Sam were just a passer-by, he would immediately accept that this was a man and his daughter. But Sam knew it wasn’t as black-and-white as that. Somehow, Castiel was the mother in this situation.

 

‘We should get going, if you’re giving it the all-clear. We need to get her back to the bunker, protect her while we decide what to do next.’ Dean decided, already going down the porch steps and heading to the Impala. Castiel followed, still hugging Siobhan close to him, and Sam came last, climbing into the passenger seat as Dean and Castiel fussed over getting Siobhan and Bear in her car seat. It sounded, to Sam, like a routine they’d had before, with making sure Bear wouldn’t be squished by her seatbelt or too far away if they wanted to cuddle each other. Dean definitely hadn’t been like that at the police station. Was it part of the pretense that they were FBI, or was it just Castiel’s presence?

 

Eventually, Dean climbed into the driver’s seat and peeled out of the driveway, his eyes scanning perpetually for any possible danger. Dean and Castiel obviously expected foul play, but of course neither of them could tell Sam any reasons why that might be the case. Was Siobhan a creature that shouldn’t exist? Would heaven and hell fight to be the one to destroy her? Would they do that just because she was Dean’s, and Castiel’s? Sam was getting sick of thinking of all the questions he just wouldn’t be allowed to ask.

 

*

 

Siobhan and Bear curled up in the car seat, and fell asleep together. Sam had managed to ask some questions, and actually got answers from Castiel. No, Bear thought for himself, he wasn’t an extension of Siobhan. They’d checked. Yes, technically nephilim were illegal, and Siobhan was going to be vulnerable until she was fully-grown. Yes, that was part of the reason they wanted to keep her hidden, and yes her being the offspring of both Dean and Cas made her a bigger target. No, we weren’t going to discuss the fact they were parents. At all.

 

They pulled up in the garage of the bunker, and Sam was out of the car before Dean killed the engine, his hands gripping her case notes. Now Sam had those, she was practically out of the system. She just had to stay that way. Castiel and Dean took longer, fussing over her possessions, and carrying her and Bear out of the car and into a makeshift nursery. Cas flashed into the bunker and back a couple of times, carrying the majority of her things, as Dean walked with her curled up in his arms. Sam had to admit, she was cute asleep. Cherubic. She shouldn’t be messed up in their world, any more than Cassandra should have been. But until they could think of a better solution, they had no choice. They had to assimilate a two-year-old half-human, half-angel little girl into their dangerous world.

 

Sam waited in the meeting room while Dean and Castiel put Siobhan and Bear to bed. They’d used one of the spare rooms, and the bed in there, pushing her cases up against the bed so she wouldn’t fall out. Castiel knew that Dean would focus on their daughter, but wouldn’t even touch on the state of their relationship. Surely now, with their daughter in Dean’s custody, they would be raising her together? Making themselves a real family unit? But Dean didn’t seem to be thinking as positively as Castiel was. As soon as Bear reassured them that Siobhan would be safe, and fell back to sleep again, Dean strode from the room. Castiel paused to press a kiss to Siobhan’s forehead, and followed Dean into the meeting room. Sam raised his eyebrows as they walked in together, but said nothing.

 

‘We can’t take her on the road. I can’t gank any son of a bitch knowing she’s nearby.’ Dean said flatly.

 

‘She may be of use. She likes to heal creatures.’ Castiel tried to rationalize.

 

‘Cas, she healed a bird that broke its wing, but she couldn’t save Cassandra. She’s not that strong.’

 

Sam was quiet as they debated their options. Mostly, it was Castiel saying they needed to keep her close and Dean speculating who they might know who would be willing to be babysitter for a half-angel, and trustworthy enough to shut up about her. But Sam had another idea.

 

‘Why not send her to daycare? And when we have cases that go out of state, we’ll hire a babysitter. She’s smart, right? She’ll know to keep her powers low key while around other people. She’ll tell Bear to pretend he’s stuffed.’

 

Great, now Sam was talking about Bear like he was normal.

 

‘She.’ Dean corrected. ‘Bear is a girl.’

 

Sam decided that, rather than getting into an argument over the gendertyping of a stuffed bear, he would take it that Dean was seriously considering daycare by his lack of resistance to the notion.

 

‘Fine, we’ll try daycare.’

 

*

 

Dean, Sam realised, was an overbearing parent. Getting Siobhan into daycare was like climbing a cement wall when you had fish fins for hands. The first one smelt faintly of sulphur, the second one had a young staff member Dean was convinced was a demon. The third Dean refused to even look into, because the outside only had two trikes. But the fourth one, the fourth one had potential. Castiel carried Siobhan and Bear, who were clinging to his neck, and Dean checked every cubby, every toilet cubicle, every tiny table and chair. He muttered ‘Cristo’ at everyone he came into contact with. Eventually, he had to admit, there wasn’t anything wrong with this daycare. Even if they served carrot sticks as a snack.

 

Castiel managed to unwind her from his neck and stood her on her tiny feet. Dean had monologued in the car, a long lecture about what she could do and what she couldn’t do in daycare. She had agreed with a very weak, teary ‘okay Daddy.’ It just about broke Sam’s heart. And now, in the brightly lit, colourful room crowded with noisy, happy children, she stood unsurely on her own, twisting her feet together, clutching Bear close and twisting a finger through her hair. Dean and Castiel had let her pick her own outfit, which included a spangled pink tutu, purple polka-dot leggings and a grey t-shirt that Dean had worn the week before, and she stuck out like a sore thumb in amongst the other kids and their adidas sports wear or Disney-inspired dresses.

 

Sam wondered if, at two-years-old, Siobhan was having an identity crisis, or if she was losing her confidence. She seemed very confident, talking to Dean, after all. One of the daycare assistants noticed her, and squatted down to her level.

 

‘Hello, would you like to come play with my group? We’re going to play hide and go seek.’

 

Siobhan stepped back, stepping on Castiel’s toes and grabbing onto Dean’s leg. If anyone had any doubts about who her Daddy’s were, she was making it clear right there which ones of the three were hers. She started to suck her thumb, and Sam was surprised that Bear didn’t choke, since she was squished by Siobhan’s arm.

 

‘It’s okay if you want to, sweetheart,’ Dean squatted to her level too, rubbing her back gently. Siobhan shook her head, and stepped off of Castiel’s feet to cuddle closer to Dean. ‘There are other things you could do. Look, a dolls house, the sandpit, trikes, a rocking horse, painting.’ She smiled at the words “rocking horse” and Sam had a brief moment of confusion, wondering why Siobhan didn’t just ask to go on the rocking horse. Then he got it. Right, Siobhan was pretending to be a normal toddler. She shouldn’t be able to articulate what she wanted properly yet. And rather than risking blowing her cover, she was electing to play silent and insecure. Dean was right; she was a smart kid. She must get that from Castiel.

 

Dean led her over to the rocking horse, and sat her on it, Bear riding up front. Sam found himself smiling as the sheer delight of being on the rocking horse took over her entire face. The sun started shining through the windows, almost too bright to see outside, and she giggled with sheer delight. Dean was laughing too, but Castiel’s face was pinched, suddenly.

 

‘She can influence the weather. She needs to get control again.’ He made himself walk across the room – rather than flash across – and bent down to talk to his tiny daughter. He didn’t speak, but placed a hand on her shoulder. She stopped rocking the horse, and her tiny body went rigid as though she were listening intently. The sun outside started to dim again, and a few raindrops spattered the windowpanes. Sam wouldn’t have liked to guess whether it was meant to be raining, or whether his niece was manipulating the weather still, despite Castiel’s silent reprimands. Another little girl walked by Siobhan, and reached out to grab Bear. Siobhan shrieked in anger, and a lightning bolt flashed across the sky as the other little girl started crying.

 

‘It bit me! It bit me! Teddy bit me!’ The new girl started crying, as Siobhan continued to shriek.

 

‘Bear! Bear! Give me Bear back!’

 

This might have been why Dean and Castiel kept Sam out of Siobhan’s life. She was so _shrill_. Sam wasn’t sure he still had eardrums. Maybe they were just protecting Sam from her decibels. Dean managed to wrestle Bear back from the girl, as Castiel scooped Siobhan up. Maybe daycare number four wasn’t for the best either. They were running out of options.

 

*

 

‘Bear, you can’t bite little girls,’ Castiel was lecturing Bear now.

 

‘Why not? I saw her on that Winnie-The-Pooh, he barely had his ears left. She was chewing on his nose!’

 

‘Bear, you’re not supposed to be able to bite back.’ Dean heaved a sigh. Sam couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. He missed the depressed, alcoholic, seven-foot-tall version of animated bears.

 

‘But I couldn’t get Bear, and if I asked for Bear then people would talk. Mommy hated when people would talk.’ Siobhan’s lips were trembling. Castiel placed a hand on her arm.

 

‘You did your best, it’s okay. We’ll find a new daycare.’

 

‘I don’t want a new daycare! I want you and Daddy and Uncle Sam and Bear and that’s it. That’s what I want.’

 

Storm clouds were rolling across the sky again as her lips continued to tremor. Sam recognized the early warning signs of a full on terrible-two’s toddler tantrum.

 

‘I know, Princess,’ Dean reassured her. ‘And there are days when it will just be the five of us, but we need you to go to daycare to be safe. We’ll pick a good one. I promise.’

 

And they did. It took two weeks, three towns and six daycares until they found one relatively close to the bunker, where Siobhan and Bear both seemed happy, and Dean was confident that the staff were competent and fully-human. And after she had a few “settling in” sessions with Castiel and Dean alternating between joining her for those visits until they were both confident that she was happy and able to hide her abilities, after that, they could turn their attentions back to hunting, or heavenly warfare, whichever one applied.

 

Dean worried constantly about her, to the point that Sam questioned whether he paid attention to the cases at hand. But they had two days of pure hunting, researching a possible demon possession, before Dean took his first call from the daycare manager. Could someone please pick Siobhan up, she’s been playing with the dead goldfish.

 

Sam reassured Dean that he could take on the demon, and Dean drove as fast as possible back to his daughter. He crashed through the doors, and found Siobhan in the corridor outside the main room, her clothes soaked and her hands clasped together. Bear was on the chair beside hers. Dean rushed over and wrapped them both in a hug.

 

‘What happened?’ Dean demanded, and the manager stepped out of her office.

 

‘We had a small upset when one of the children noticed a goldfish in our tank was floating upside down. We told the children it was poorly, and your daughter said he was dead. She reached into the water and poked him, and he began swimming around again. As if my assistants didn’t have enough to do with explaining death to a crowd of under-fives, they then had to explain how it could possibly be swimming around again!’

 

‘Maybe she was mistaken? Her mother just died, you see, she’s not really opened up about the whole experience and I think she’s a little traumatised-‘

 

‘Traumatised? I have forty children who are now traumatised! When everyone started fussing, she jumped in the tank and grabbed the fish! She still has it, it’ll definitely be dead by now.’

 

Dean eyed his daughter carefully, and she had the grace to look ashamed. But her hands stayed firmly clasped together, and Dean knew the daycare center was never getting that particular goldfish back.

 

‘I’ll take her home and talk to her, see what’s going on. I’ll sort out the goldfish as well, see if we can give it a good burial.’ He assured the manager, trying to ignore Siobhan’s gasp of indignation. Yep, she was definitely keeping the fish alive in her pudgy little hands. Dean shepherded her out of the nursery, bringing Bear so that she could keep hold of the fish. He drove her carefully back to the bunker, and found a bowl big enough for her to drop the fish in. She leaned across the table top, watching the fish swim around with fascination.

 

‘Less than a week in, and you’re stealing fish,’ Dean shook his head.

 

‘How comes I could save the fish, and I couldn’t save Mommy?’ Siobhan asked, as though the question had just come to her. She dipped a finger in the water and swirled it lazily, creating a small current within the bowl. Dean gently took her fingers out of the bowl, letting the fish relax after the mini-maelstrom.

 

‘Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay? Daddy Cas and me, we should have looked out for you both better. And it’s okay that you don’t have a lot of power yet. I don’t have any.’

 

‘But Daddy Cas has lots.’ Siobhan blinked up at him, and Dean found himself staring at the eye that was so like Castiel’s. He always did. He had a feeling Castiel would look more at the green one than the blue. ‘I want to be like Daddy Cas.’

 

‘Maybe one day you will be,’ Dean assured her, worried she was too young to understand that she would never be as powerful as Castiel.

 

‘Can I keep the fish?’ She blinked her long eyelashes up at Dean, and he was glad Castiel and Sam were not there to see him melt into a metaphorical puddle over her own brand of puppy-dog eyes.

 

‘Of course Princess. What’s your fish called?’

 

‘Fish.’

 

His daughter might be the second most powerful being that Dean cared about, but imagination was not her strong point.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean was struggling. He had no problem fighting off the evil beings of the world, no issues with surviving both heaven and hell’s various civil wars. No quibbling over the situation with Castiel and he had gotten avoiding Sam down to a fine art. It wasn’t even being a father that Dean found difficult. It was dealing with daycare.

 

After a couple of weeks, he noticed he was getting strange looks at the breakfast drop-off. He still let Siobhan pick her own outfits, which usually included a t-shirt of Dean’s, or one of Sam’s many, many, many flannel shirts. But he didn’t think his daughter’s creative choices were the reason he was getting strange looks. It wasn’t the way she made Bear a part of every element of her life – to the point the daycare assistants were joking how they’d need to start charging for Bear too – because other children at the center had security blankets as well. It wasn’t that sometimes Castiel or Sam came with him, because there was another kid with two Daddies, and even one with two Mommies. And yes, Dean had checked them out. Lesbians, how could he not?

 

No, he was struggling with the odd reports that came home, often hours before daycare was supposed to finish. He was sick of trying to come up with plausible explanations for why Siobhan had stood and told a four-year-old boy in no uncertain terms why he shouldn’t run in the naptime corner. Or how she could pick up a copy of _The Gruffalo_ and read it so eloquently, voices and all. Why her painting was so advanced, how her sandcastle managed to stay up, what could possibly have happened to the ball she bounced that flew so high in the air that no one had seen it come down.

 

He knew Siobhan was doing her level best to keep her powers under wraps, but it was hard. And she was _two_. Maybe Sam’s daycare idea was just too much, too soon. Maybe they needed to consider their other options. Maybe when he talked to the daycare manager today, he’d mention that it wasn’t working out.

 

He had barely stepped in the building before the manager accosted him, shouting so loudly that it took Dean a moment to really process what she was saying.

 

‘ … AND DYLAN STARTED PULLING THEM! WINGS!’

 

Shit.

 

‘Well, you know-‘

 

‘No, no, I’m sick of the frankly pathetic excuses you try and create for your abominable daughter! We told her to take the wings off, and she just cried. I don’t know what values you’re teaching her, but she cannot cry her way out of trouble. She really hurt Franklin when the wing caught him in the eye, and his mother is difficult at the best of times!’

 

Dean had to yell over her.

 

‘I’m taking her home, okay? Where is she?’

 

‘Time Out. We had to put her in there, she started flying! Deedee fainted when she saw-‘

 

Dean walked away from the manager, into the Time Out room. He was far too familiar with this room. Siobhan was curled up in the corner of the room, trying to make herself as invisible as possible. Dean almost missed her, because she had wrapped her tiny, shimmering white wings around Bear and herself. He could hear her crying.

 

‘Hey sweetie, it’s Daddy.’ He said quietly, closing the door behind him so the manager couldn’t hear them talking.

 

‘You yelled at the lady,’ Siobhan sniffed, still not unfurling her wings.

 

‘I know, that was wrong. Do you want to talk about the wings?’

 

Siobhan’s crying grew louder.

 

‘They hurt, Daddy! They hurt like when I got my teeth! And I was crying ‘coz they hurt and they said I was bad because I hurt Franklin’s eye and I didn’t mean to! And when I moved them they didn’t hurt so much and then I was up in the air and they cried and they screamed and they called me a bad girl. Am I?’

 

Dean sank down next to his tiny daughter, curling his arms around her, wings and all. He kissed the wing closest to him as softly as he could, aware they were new, and tender.

 

‘No, you’re not a bad girl. You’re just different. And I’ve been different my whole life. It’s not so bad.’

 

She snuggled closer to him, climbing on his lap, one of her wings folding over his arm. Dean couldn’t help but wonder if Castiel’s wings had ever troubled him this way, or if they had ever been so downy and soft. He’d only seen Castiel’s wings as black, thinned from stress. Castiel’s advice would be so good for their daughter at that moment, but there would be no way of explaining Castiel’s sudden appearance.

 

‘You don’t have to come back here, ever again. Okay? Daddy Cas and me, we’ll sort something out. Promise.’ And Dean stuck his pinky out. Siobhan gave a watery giggle, and curled her finger around his. He kissed the top of her hair, and then, cuddling her close, stood up and walked out of the Time Out room. The manager lingered there, and although Dean could easily fabricate some excuse about Siobhan wearing wings and accidentally sticking them with crazy glue, he decided this bitch wasn’t worth his time.

 

‘She still has her wings!’ The manager shrieked. Dean held his head high, eyes blazing with unspoken fury.

 

‘She does. Sorry Franklin got hurt, but you know, if you don’t want to worry about difficult parents, maybe you should be nice to the guy whose daughter managed to fly today? Because I promise you, lady, if I ever see you again, you’re dead.’

 

And holding Siobhan close to his chest, still sniffling, he marched out of the building. It was raining, but Siobhan, with a little groaning and clearly a lot of effort, raised her wings to cover both of them until they got into the Impala.

 

‘Is this your rain?’ Dean asked as he did the seatbelt up, and secured Bear in place.

 

‘You told that lady you would kill her.’ Siobhan’s eyes were as wide as saucers. That confirmed it for Dean, she definitely could not come on cases. He didn’t need that tiny, frail voice telling him not to hurt the bad man. But what options did he have? Bobby and Kevin were dead, Charlie was in Oz, Lisa couldn’t remember him, Sam had killed Emma, who was an Amazon anyway and would therefore have been a Bad Influence on tiny, impressionable Siobhan.

 

‘I told her she’d be dead.’

 

Dean knew he wasn’t fooling her. He kissed her forehead and closed the door, the familiar creak-and-clunk making him feel a little better. Especially as he had accidentally caught her wing in the car seat strap, and that had left him feeling guilty.

 

‘We’ll talk to Daddy Cas about your wings, okay honey?’ He looked at her in the rear view mirror, and she nodded her head miserably. Bear reached a paw up, and patted her face along the tear tracks.

 

‘I don’t think Daddy Dean is going to take us back there. We can play at home with Daddy Dean, and Daddy Cas, and Uncle Sam!’

 

Siobhan’s face brightened, and the clouds began to slowly break up. Dean swallowed his reaction down, opting instead to temporarily allow his daughter the optimism. He was definitely going to have a word with Bear, maybe when Siobhan was asleep, about avoiding false hopes or something. Or maybe he would leave it to Castiel, since Cas had quite happily left Dean to deal with most of the daycare crap.

 

As soon as they got into the bunker, Siobhan took a couple of running steps, and then soared into the air, flying around the raised roof of the meeting room. Sam, who had been in the room, poring over various volumes – as always – barely looked up.

 

‘So I guess I know why she’s home early today.’

 

‘Don’t ride her ass, they’re hurting her.’

 

Dean was watching as Siobhan, giggling and twirling Bear around as she flew in loops and twists as though she were in water. Dean smiled despite himself.

 

‘Is flying such a good idea?’

 

‘Ah, she said they don’t hurt so much if she moves them. She lost control and made a rainstorm.’

 

‘And you’re going to let it slide?’ Sam looked up from his book to shoot Dean his patented Bitchface. Dean ignored it.

 

‘Yep. I figure she’s had enough to get through today. Let her play.’

 

‘Is she suspended?’ Sam pushed.

 

‘Nope, totally flying on her own.’

 

‘Dean,’ Sam’s tone was almost reminiscent of their fathers.

 

‘She’s not going back, even if they wanted her. Kid’s scared that she’s sprouted wings and they yell at her? It wasn’t her fault that kid got a feather in his eye.’

 

Sam sat forward, pushing his fingers through his hair. It was obvious to him, the way this conversation was going. He loved his niece, he did, and he was getting used to Bear, and Fish, but caring about the kid wasn’t the issue. Keeping her safe and hidden was.

 

‘So, maybe we could go to wherever it was that Cas hid Jimmy, when we met Cassandra in the first place?’ Sam started clutching at straws.

 

‘Nope, he said the other angels destroyed it, in that fight. I was thinking more like shift work.  You know, I have her for a day, you have her the next day, Cas goes the next. You can research cases and I can gank whatever sons of bitches I can.’

 

‘WORDS, Daddy!’

 

Siobhan was hanging upside down, her feet inches from the ceiling, the shirt she’d stolen from Sam defying gravity as well. Her finger was pointing imperiously at Dean, an admonition for him not watching his potty mouth around his toddler. This must have been something Cassandra had taught her.

 

‘Sorry, so I can kill those sons of bitches.’

 

‘Daddeeeeeee! WORDS!’

 

‘No cussing around her, huh?’ Sam smirked.  Dean lifted his chin smugly, and delivered his final blow.

 

‘You get the first shift tomorrow.’


	4. Chapter 4

Dean had stuck to his threat, and left Sam with Siobhan for the day. Castiel hadn’t been around for a while, and although Sam knew that he had important, heaven-based challenges, he did feel like Castiel was shirking his responsibilities a little.

 

Sam felt so ill-equipped for the task. He had feigned disinterest the day before, because Dean hadn’t seemed shocked, but it was frightening to see such a tiny little thing with these huge, white, iridescent wings attached to her. Sam had been keeping one eye on her at all times while she was floating up by the ceiling, singing nursery rhymes with Bear and prancing around. Part of Sam had realised just how intimidating it was to be nurturing a sub-human creature, and part of him was tensed for the moment the wings failed, and she fell. With Cas AWOL, there would be no one to fix her up, not properly.

 

She had moved into the room beside Dean’s, and Sam avoided it as much as possible. Dean, in a fit of weakened parental sense, had painted the entire room an eye-watering pink. Of course, Siobhan loved it, and Dean could spend hours in there, reading with her and teaching her all about classic rock.

 

Another thing Sam wasn’t happy about was the way Siobhan commandeered everything. If Sam was eating toast for breakfast, a little voice would pipe up ‘mine!’ and Dean would give him the death-stare until Sam gave his breakfast up. ‘Mine’ also applied to Sam’s flannel shirts, which she had taken a shine to, and the demon blade, which was the only argument Sam felt like he won recently. Every time Sam complained about the issue, Dean would shrug and call it a phase.

 

And even more sneakily, she’d started packing things into bags. And that brought on a world of dispute over who owned what. Sam might own his phone, but Siobhan owned the bag, and if Sam’s phone was in her bag, then clearly it was Siobhan’s phone. And worse, Dean had just laughed and called her smart. Sam wasn’t so sure she was smart. He was pretty sure that when angels and humans had babies together, they made demons.

 

So, all in all, he was not looking forward to being in charge of her. Without Dean there to take Sam’s possessions away and give to Siobhan, there might be some real, full-on tantrums, and Sam wasn’t sure that he could handle those. She was, Sam would never say to Dean but felt in the very core of his being, spoiled.

 

He’d been poring over volume after volume in the Men of Letter’s bunker, looking for any references about nephilim. So far, all he’d found was how they were made – and Sam couldn’t erase that image of his brother and the angel from his mind, disregarding the fact that Castiel was in Cassandra at the time, it was still squicky to think of things like Dean having sex – and that they were unnatural. Sam didn’t need to be told that twice.

 

Siobhan had been playing quietly in her room all morning. Unlike Dean, who traced her every movement, Sam was pretty happy to just let her play, and stay out of his hair. He stayed in his room, with the door ajar, listening to her little voice babbling and giggling, and occasionally Bear’s responses.

 

Bear freaked Sam out. Bear sounded like a guy, but Siobhan – and Dean, and Castiel – were adamant that Bear was a girl. And Bear was … okay, Bear was creepy. If Siobhan was using the bathroom, or playing with Dean, and Bear was left alone for a while, he would pad over to Sam, sit in front of him, and stare at him. What Bear was after, Sam didn’t know, but he didn’t want to think too hard about it either. Because if he did, he might rip the stuffing out of the thing, and then he’d have Siobhan’s tears to deal with. Plus, Siobhan would probably restore Bear, and then Sam might be killed by a stuffed toy. He’d already had the scare of his life when he woke up with Bear’s face inches from his. And of course, when he’d whispered it to Dean, worried Bear was listening, Dean roared with laughter. Because it was hilarious that a thirty-plus-year-old man would be terrified of a talking stuffed bear.

 

But after reading two volumes – that had _nothing_ on nephilim, whatever they promised – and about an hour of peace, Sam noticed that it wasn’t just Siobhan and Bear he could hear. There were other voices. Siobhan couldn’t invoke spirits, could she? He crept over to her room and knocked on the door.

 

‘Siobhan? Sweetie? It’s Uncle Sam. Is everything okay in there?’

 

‘Yes Uncle Sam!’ Siobhan and Bear called back through the door, their voices following the same sing-song tone.

 

‘What are you up to?’

 

‘Nothing!’

 

Sam knew, from his own childhood, that ‘nothing’ rarely meant nothing. Nothing meant something. Nothing meant trouble, like you’d jammed a toy soldier into the car handle or you’d witnessed your brother stuffing lego pieces into the radiator vent. Nothing meant you didn’t load your father’s favourite gun, honest. Nothing meant the worst. Sam opened the door anyway, and saw Siobhan, in his favourite flannel shirt, sat around a tea party table with Bear and a few other toys that she’d been showered with. Every single one of them had turned their heads to look at him. Sam had witnessed a lot since he was six months old, but nothing was as terrifying as being given the stink-eye by a doll created purely to poop its pants.

 

‘Are you having a tea party?’ Sam asked Siobhan, trying not to look directly at anything stuffed or made with questionably toxic plastics. Siobhan, oblivious to how creepy it all was, beamed at him.

 

‘Yes! Did you want to come? Daddy normally makes us sandwiches.’

 

Dean knew about the creepy tea parties?

 

‘He zaps them in, pow! But I can’t do that yet.’

 

Okay, she meant Castiel. That made more sense, but did not stop it from being the creepiest effing sight Sam had ever seen.

 

‘Did you want some snacks?’ Sam could do snacks. Siobhan brushed the hair off her face with her flat palms, like an ordinary child. Sam felt strange seeing her doing something so childish in the middle of her game, especially when you considered the way she spoke, the way she flew, and how she handled her other abilities. Whatever Dean said about her being two years old and deserving to have a break, it didn’t make sense to Sam until he saw her doing something as innocent as that.

 

‘Um, no, it’s okay Uncle Sam, I should practice.’ She screwed up her face and strained hard for a moment, then peeked into the teapot, and sighed dramatically. ‘I still can’t do it.’

 

‘Keep practicing. You’re doing good.’ Sam promised her. She beamed at him.

 

‘Thank you Uncle Sam. Everybody, say hello to my Uncle Sam. He’s my Daddy Dean’s brother.’

 

Sam was greeted with a chorus of hellos from the toys, all except Bear and a white, fluffy rabbit, who were whispering at the other side of the table. Siobhan started making the introductions to her toys to Sam, and he smiled politely as she pointed to Pony (a horse), Rabbit (the one talking to Bear), Mrs Rabbit (a grey rabbit next to the white one), Dolly and Doll. He zoned out of the other names, suspecting strongly that the elephant was called Elephant and the cat was Cat.

 

He played along as well as he could. Siobhan’s play time was as unimaginative as her naming scheme, and Sam found himself between Elephant and Dolly, pretending to sip tea out of a tiny cup and just listening to the jabbering of the little girl and her toys. He closed his eyes and acknowledged that, as nervous as Dean was about her safety, and terrifying as it was to see such a little girl flying around near the ceiling, it was reassuring when she did something so normal as have a tea party with her toys.

 

*

 

Sam must have fallen asleep. Dean was going to kill him if something had happened to Siobhan and he was asleep. He came to slowly, aware of voices near his head. He kept his eyes closed, as his sense of reason caught up.

 

‘I don’t trust him.’

 

‘Oh, Bear, he’s okay. Daddy Dean and Daddy Cas trust him. They wouldn’t have left us with him if we couldn’t trust him. Daddy Dean says he’s a nice man. And he let me have his toast today, that was nice. That was yummy.’

 

‘Can you smell it? I can smell it.’

 

‘Yeah … but Daddy said he and Uncle Sam kill them all the time. Maybe that’s why we can smell it. And it’s not nice to say that, Bear.’

 

‘Sorry. I just want you to be okay.’

 

‘Anyway, the smell isn’t so bad now.’ Siobhan said, and Sam felt something huge stroke down his back. It would have been pleasant, if it wasn’t so shocking. His eyes shot open, and he found himself looking up at a huge version of Siobhan, who smiled at him, her tiny teeth sparkling through her parted lips. ‘I always wanted a hamster.’

 

Sam tried to look down at himself as Siobhan’s huge hand came up and started stroking again. That was the huge pressure on his back. He started trying to tell Siobhan off, to demand she Put Him Back, but he could only hear squeaks coming out of his mouth. And then the massive door opened, and a huge Dean walked in, Castiel behind him, just as tall. Sam realised he probably looked like that to most people, but all he really wanted to acknowledge was the fact that his erratically-powerful niece had managed to turn him into a hamster.

 

And Dean didn’t seem to understand. Instead he walked over, scooping Siobhan up and laughing as she squealed and squirmed, letting him throw her up in the air, where she flapped her wings a few times, and gracefully drifted into her father’s arms. After a few rounds of the game, Dean held her close, and shouted, low and urgent, ‘Sam.’

 

Sam tried to let him know he was now a hamster, but obviously Dean couldn’t understand high-pitched squeaks. But Castiel had cocked his head, and shuffled forward, bending his expansive head low and squinting at Sam.

 

‘I believe he is now a hamster,’ Castiel informed Dean.

 

‘Yay! Hamster!’ Siobhan cheered, and clapped her pudgy hands. Dean groaned, and buried his face in her shoulder.

 

‘Okay princess, what did you do to Uncle Sam?’

 

‘He was asleep and I was playing with his hair and it felt nice and I wanted to keep it and I thought he liked it too. I could stroke him when he was in my lap.’

 

Oh, it all sounded so cute from her lispy little mouth. Dean was laughing and Castiel was scrutinizing Sam again.

 

‘Dean, I do not think Sam enjoys being a rodent. Shall I turn him back?’

 

‘Sure,’ Sam watched as Dean started pulling stupid faces at Siobhan, making her giggle, while Castiel put two fingers against Sam’s face. He felt hot, and all his limbs shot out all at once. It was not pleasant, becoming another being. When Castiel finished, Sam stood up, panting and snarling at Siobhan. Her smile fell, and in Sam’s peripheral vision, he saw Dean giving him a death stare. But Sam didn’t care, Siobhan had to learn that you couldn’t randomly turn people into pets.

 

‘Never, and I mean, _never_ use your damn powers on me!’

 

And he strode out of the room as Siobhan started crying, heading outside for the nearest bar. He needed a drink badly.


	5. Chapter 5

It was Castiel’s day to watch Siobhan. She still hadn’t recovered from Sam yelling at her the day before. Dean had spent the entire night comforting her, leaving Castiel feeling uncomfortable, that he didn’t know how to just immediately relate to someone else’s situation. Oh, he’d tried, and he’d watched Dean countless times, but it came so naturally to Dean.

 

But Castiel was happy. Dean had eventually soothed Siobhan by hugging her close, stroking her hair, kissing her and whispering to her, soothing things that Castiel tried not to listen in on. Every now and then, he caught Castiel’s eye, and something in them reminded Castiel of the week that Dean was really his. And when Siobhan had finally fallen asleep, and Dean walked her into his room, sleeping next to her, Castiel watched over them both.

 

He loved his little family, as dysfunctional as it might seem, as hard as it was to know that Dean struggled with Castiel’s vessel, and what came with that. Sometimes, when Dean gave him those looks, Castiel would pretend that Dean could see into his grace, into his true self. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part. And although Castiel never imagined being a parent, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction knowing that this tiny little creature was a little bit of him. And a little bit of Dean.

 

Sam had remained out all night, and when Dean had left in the morning, reeling off a huge list of instructions, he’d seemed distracted. Castiel knew there was a new rift growing between the brothers, and he knew that the day would not be spent on a case, but on each other. And that was fine. Because Castiel had work to do with Siobhan.

 

Dean had temporarily soothed her wings, letting her fly around and rubbing some cream into them, something that smelt like artificial fruit. But Castiel could remove the ache properly, show her how to hide them. He made Bear wait in Siobhan’s room, while he carried the toddler through into the meeting room, figuring that there was enough room there for any explosion of power.

 

Castiel sat Siobhan down in one of the chairs, squatting down in front of her and looking at her seriously. She gazed back warily, clearly expecting Castiel to chew her out for the Samster episode. Her lower lip trembled, and her eyes filled with tears.

 

‘Do your wings still hurt?’ Castiel tried copying Dean’s understanding tones. She nodded slowly, and Castiel reached his hands over onto her wings, holding them gently and using his own powers to soothe her. ‘Better?’

 

‘Yes Mommy.’

 

‘Have you tried hiding them?’ Castiel was still using Dean’s gentle voice. She shook her head, now looking confused. ‘Well, humans don’t seem to take well to different. You’ll need to find some way of hiding them. Try now.’

 

Dean would say it was too much to ask, that she was too young, that they were putting a lot on her, but Castiel knew that they’d barely begun to touch on her powers. They had to train her up.

 

So they practiced, Siobhan straining until she was red in the face, and Castiel trying another of Dean’s tricks, rewarding her after every attempt, so even if the wings flickered, she wasn’t disheartened. It seemed to work, and eventually she’s mastered hiding them and showing them, and Castiel promised her that he’d make sure she had some flying time every day. Dean would definitely agree to that.

 

Castiel remembered Dean’s instructions that she needed to eat, and headed into the kitchen. Sam and Dean, when they were in this room, could just move from fridge to cupboard, and over to the oven without instructions. And it wasn’t like restaurants, where you could tell the fridge what you wanted, and a few minutes later, it would appear. Castiel had already tried that before. All he really knew how to do was make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but Dean said maybe she needed to try something else? Just so she didn’t get sick of them.

 

He opened the cupboard, and pulled out a couple of cans. Pineapple chunks in syrup, jalapeno peppers, and tuna. He grabbed a box near the back too, full of pasta. He dumped them all in a bowl, and put it in the oven, turning a dial and feeling a sense of satisfaction when the oven lit up inside. He found some eggs in a carton, and put them in the microwave Sam had installed, pushing buttons the way he’d seen Sam and Dean do. He turned to peek in the fridge again, and the microwave exploded behind him.

 

‘Mommy?’ Siobhan called from the other room. ‘Mommy?’

 

‘It’s okay! It’s a, um, it’s a human thing.’ Castiel was staring at the ruined microwave. What did he do wrong? Siobhan shuffled into the room, holding Bear’s hand and peering at the microwave as well.

 

‘Oh.’

 

‘Yes. I’m not sure what I did differently to Daddy.’ It seemed strange for Castiel to have to refer to Dean by that term, but Dean and Cassandra had assured him that it was for Siobhan’s benefit that they did so.

 

‘I think Daddy opens some things up.’ Siobhan dragged Bear over to the kitchen table, and started watching Fish, swimming in his bowl. Castiel looked at the bowl in the oven, which was slowly melting into a horrible lump. New lesson learned – plastic bowls melt in heat. And smell pretty badly too. Castiel pulled the bubbling bowl out of the oven quickly, and threw it in the trash.

 

*

Dean came home earlier than Castiel and Siobhan were expecting. Siobhan was finishing up her meal, which Castiel had finally managed to put together. She was scooping it up happily on her plastic spoon, and Dean walked into the room, immediately spotting the trashed microwave, and sniffing the air.

 

‘Everything okay?’ Dean asked Castiel.  Castiel nodded, watching Siobhan scraping her spoon around her plate, using her fingers to load it up. ‘What’s she eating?’

 

‘Dinner. Like you asked me to do.’

 

Dean turned, and looked at all the empty packets and spills littering the counter. And then he turned back to the mush on Siobhan’s plate. It was … orange? Or pink?

 

‘Looks, uh, good job, Cas.’

 

‘There’s more.’ Cas beamed. ‘I’ll get you some.’

 

Dean felt some foreboding about whatever the angel was planning on dishing up, but he decided to play along. It must have been edible, because Siobhan was hoovering it up. He slid into the seat beside hers and let Castiel place a dish full of … food? In front of him.

 

‘Wow.’ Dean commented, and Castiel beamed, sitting opposite Dean and watching for his first mouthful. He scooped some of the gunk up, and bit into it slowly. He forced himself not to gag, chewed – and chewed, and chewed – and swallowed. ‘Wow, Cas.’

 

Castiel beamed, completely unaware that Dean’s “wow” actually meant “wow, I put that in my mouth?”

 

‘So, what’s in it?’ Dean scooped another mouthful up, forcing himself to eat it.

 

‘Um … candy, peanut butter, tomato soup, cheese, corn dogs – completely without dogs – ice cream, bread, and something powdery. Tumeric?’

 

That explained so much. Dean swallowed his latest mouthful of mush, trying to think how to phrase this so that Castiel’s feelings didn’t get hurt.

 

‘Mmm, well, I’ll find you a couple websites to look up some recipes, if you liked doing it this time.’ He bent and kissed Siobhan on the top of her wings, and stood up, scraping the chair back. ‘I’d better get back to Sam.’

 

‘Is everything okay?’ Castiel stood up as well, walking with him to the door.

 

‘Yeah, he’s just having the big brother syndrome thing going on,’ Dean glanced around at Siobhan, and looked back at Castiel, who was frowning in confusion. Dean realised it wasn’t worth it to explain exactly what he meant. He’d only confused Castiel further. ‘Look, I won’t be long, hopefully. Good job on the whole wing thing too.’

 

He stepped forward, as Castiel did, and there was an awkward moment where they both hesitated, wondering if they were reading each other properly. They had been dealing with this situation repeatedly since they had agreed to pause the relationship. Dean was the first one to recover, wrapping his arms around Castiel in a hug, and Castiel clung to him, fighting the urge to kiss Dean.

 

And then Dean was gone, back to talking to Sam away from the bunker, and out of reach of Siobhan’s powers. But not out of reach of Castiel’s.

 

Siobhan had finished her meal in the time it took Dean to say goodbye, and now she was looking at Castiel expectantly. Castiel scooped her up, cuddling her close.

 

‘Mommy? Do you love Daddy?’

 

Castiel gave her a watery smile.

 

‘Of course I do.’

 

‘Does Daddy love you?’

 

‘Yes.’ Castiel sounded more confident than he felt. Dean had never said it, but on more than one occasion, he may as well have. Everything else was there. And Dean struggled so hard with his feelings, that Castiel couldn’t force him to suffer any more. ‘But we both love you too, very much.’

 

She curled over so her head was tucked under his chin, again. Castiel stroked her hair and listened as she started humming tunelessly. But Castiel knew it couldn’t last, and after a couple of minutes, he began to walk with her, careful to leave Bear behind with Fish, out to the computer room. He sat her on the console, and placed his hand on her shoulder, so he could talk to her without risking Dean or Sam walking in and overhearing something they shouldn’t. And then Castiel told her all about heaven, and the angels, and everything that had gone on since Castiel had met Sam and Dean. And she listened intently, aware that there was a point to all of this, that she was relevant somehow to what her mother was telling her.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean had found Sam in a local bar, drowning his sorrows in a bottle of cheap, imported beer. He sat beside his younger brother and held two fingers up to the barman, who nodded and pulled the caps off another couple of bottles. He didn’t speak to Sam until the fresh drinks were there.

 

‘She didn’t mean anything, you know. She’s sorry. And for what it’s worth, when Cas isn’t cooking her the grossest food ever, he’s working on getting her powers under control.’

 

Sam didn’t say anything. Dean sighed. It was going to be one of _those_ talks. The mushy kind where Dean felt more like Sam’s parent than his brother. The ones where Sam’s feelings might be hurt and everything else had to take a backseat. The kind that made Dean want to blow his brains out.

 

‘It takes some getting used to, huh?’

 

‘Look, Dean,’ Sam slouched across his side of the table. ‘It’s not about her. Not like that. I don’t want to be a kid about it, but I’d just really appreciate her respecting my stuff. I know that she’s a kid, and going through phases, but she’s going to be a pain in the ass if you don’t nip it in the bud.’

 

‘I don’t know, man. I just, I keep thinking of our childhood when I look at her. She’s not ready for this world, and there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop her getting dragged in anyway. She was born into it. And when you think about what our lives are like, I guess I just can’t get sentimental over a shirt.’

 

Dean drained half of his bottle in one mouthful. Sam sighed, and then sat up straight.

 

‘What?’

 

Sam moved his palms up and down, inches from the tabletop, indicating for Dean to shut the hell up. He tilted his head slightly, and Dean bent his head forward, listening for whatever had caught Sam’s attention.

 

‘ … a real nephilim? Are you sure?’

 

‘Yeah, wings broke out in pre-school and everything. Plenty of eye witnesses. Kid’s disappeared since, but there’ll be a trail.’

 

‘You know how to kill them?’

 

‘Sure. I got me an angel blade.’

 

Other hunters. Sam looked at Dean, hoping they could come up with a plan quickly, but Dean was already standing up, looking irritated. He approached the three men who had been talking.

 

‘Leroy, Stan, Ted. Didn’t know you were here.’

 

‘Son of a gun, it’s Dean Winchester!’ The oldest, chunkiest guy half-stood, half-squatted, and punched Dean on the shoulder.

 

‘Sammy too,’ Dean nodded his head back towards his brother. ‘Couldn’t help overhearing you talk about that nephilim case. Sammy and I were in the area when the story came through two days ago. Been checking it out since. Can’t tell if there really was one or not, but the trail’s pretty cold.’

 

The men all laughed.

 

‘Oh Dean,’ the lanky guy with the big nose and handlebar moustache pointed at Dean with his glass full of beer. ‘You can’t have all the good cases.’

 

‘Now, Leroy, really, coming up here halfway through our investigation, and then telling us just before we wrap it that we can’t have it? Pretty stupid, don’t you think?’ Sam asked, appearing at Dean’s shoulder. Leroy didn’t seem put off.

 

‘Well, Dean here thinks the case is unsolvable. I say different.’

 

‘Are you really implying that Dean would walk away from a case?’ Sam chuckled to himself. ‘Dean who crawled out of hell? Who fought his way out of purgatory. Who’s risked his own life for me, and for every son of a bitch on this planet. That Dean? My brother Dean? Man, it’s like they don’t even know you.’

 

Dean leaned across their table, staring the final guy in the face.

 

‘The trail in town went cold. If there was one, it’s on its way to Wichita by now, from what we could tell.’

 

‘Then why aren’t you heading out to Wichita?’ The fat guy sneered.

 

‘We were, Stan. Getting packed up tonight. Had to make sure we had everything we needed, you know?’

 

‘Rumour has it, this nephilim is a baby. Has a daddy on the scene. And Daddy is pretty keen to hide the little munchkin. Rumour has it, the baby Daddy looks like you.’

 

Dean smirked, and looked around at Sam, who tried to keep an impassive expression on his face. If he didn’t, he was sure that the other hunters would be able to read his mind, at the word ‘shit’ repeating itself over and over.

 

‘Sam’s right, it’s like you don’t know me at all. How in the hell do you even get an angel pregnant, right?’

 

The other three hunters traded a look.

 

‘Bit late for the bird and the bees, Dean.’ Ted rolled his eyes.

‘Uh-huh. Well, you guys can enjoy your little game of ‘eat Dean and Sam’s dust’ and we’ll get on with actual hunting. See you over the corpse, I guess.’ Dean stood up straight, ‘Come on, Sammy. We’ve gotta gank this bitch.’

 

Sam nodded, though Dean never turned to look at him, and followed Dean out of the bar, into the Impala. When Dean had revved the engine and driven down the road, Sam started screeching.

 

‘Other hunters, Dean! Other hunters! What are we going to do? We can’t lead them to the Men of Letters, we can’t go on a wild goose chase to Wichita. And whatever we do, what if they find Siobhan anyway? She goes flying and they’ll use her for target practice.’

 

‘Sammy, shut up.’ Dean gripped the steering wheel tightly, as a sickening thought occurred to him. ‘Did you get close to Stan?’

 

‘Not real close, no. Why?’

 

‘Check your pockets. He likes to bug people.’

 

Sam shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, and pulled out a small, black plastic tab, almost like a button.

 

‘Guess he got close enough,’ Sam sighed.

 

‘Yeah, and he’s going to think your dog is this damn nephilim.’ Dean tried covering their tracks, knowing it was useless. He made the effort anyway. ‘Where’s he getting the money for junk like that, anyway?’

 

‘I don’t know, Dean. I really don’t care either. Especially not when I-‘ Sam rolled his window down and threw the bug out into the night. He wound the window back up, and shot a look at Dean. ‘What do we do now?’

 

‘What we planned all along. We go for Wichita.’

 

Sam gave him a confused glance, before reason caught up with him. Dean still thought they could be bugged, clearly.

 

*

 

Dean had been driving for about an hour, his knuckles strained white against the steering wheel and a tic jumping in his jaw. Sam had been texting the cellphone they’d given Castiel, hoping that he knew how to read texts. And then Sam wondered if Siobhan could work it out, and read Sam’s message to him. He’d heard that kids were crazy good with technology. Dean had stuck to his word, and headed out west, way past Lawrence. He was the one to break the silence.

 

‘Headlights.’

 

Sam looked in the side mirror, and saw a car behind theirs. It was too dark to make out if there was anyone in the car at all, let alone how many. They couldn’t be sure it was the other hunters.

 

‘What do you want to do?’ Sam asked quietly. They had no idea if they were still bugged.

 

‘Pull over a sec. I think we need a plan.’

 

He waited until there was a sharp bend in the road, and drove behind a grass bank, cutting the engine and listening intently for the other car. Dean was checking his own pockets, and Sam did the same, looking for any more tiny plastic listening equipment. Sam held his hands up silently, and Dean sighed, slumping in his seat.

 

‘No, me neither.’

 

‘I don’t get it, Dean, why do they want to hurt her?’

 

Dean rubbed a hand over his face, trying to buy time.

 

‘Dean? I need to know. I want to protect her as much as you do. It’s all about saving the innocent, right?’

 

‘Yeah, I just … she shouldn’t exist, okay? When Cassandra first told us, when it started to sink in, Cas told me that he didn’t understand how it could happen, how we could’ve … Cas likes to keep a close eye on her, he always has, because he can’t believe this happened. I can’t believe it happened.’

 

‘Dean, you’ve lost me.’

 

‘Look, she’s like all the monsters we’re meant to gank, okay? She shouldn’t exist. There isn’t enough out there to know what she’s going to grow to be, because the few that have been created either died or went into hiding. All we have to go on is what Cas remembers from the other angels, and I’m not going to listen to those dicks.’

 

‘But why do they want to kill her?’ Sam pushed. Dean rubbed a hand over his head, scratching through his hairline.

 

‘Because they have listened to those dicks. They think she’s going to grow to be something evil. And she’s not, Sammy, she’s not.’

 

Sam felt bad, momentarily, for thinking that she was a miniature demon. He could hear Dean’s voice breaking, he knew Dean was allowing a brief glimpse into his actual emotions, and he had to tread carefully so Dean didn’t clam up and parade his normal macho bullshit.

 

‘How long have you been visiting her?’

 

‘Since she was born. I know I should’ve told you, or introduced you before, but Cas had already told me all that crap and I just figured, if you got tortured over her, you’d know nothing, they’d have no power. Guess I have no choice now, huh?’

 

‘Right. But it’ll be okay Dean. I let Cas know, he’s going to look out for her.’

 

Dean nodded, and watched the road for the other car.

 

‘Wanna take them on already?’

 

‘No. Let ‘em guess Wichita was wrong. I wanna be sure she’s safe.’

 

Sam didn’t answer, but climbed back into the car. Dean took a moment to join him, and drove along the field with the headlights off, hoping to stay invisible to the other hunters on the road.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean and Sam made it back to the bunker with no trouble. But while Sam seemed relaxed when he realised they were all safe, Dean seemed even more stressed than when they were on the road. He checked all over the bunker, peering out the front door, making sure everything was locked, before hurrying into Siobhan’s room. She was asleep in bed, cuddling Bear, and Castiel stood over her, watching her.

 

‘Is she okay?’ Dean asked from the doorway, his voice still urgent.

 

‘Should she not be?’ Castiel asked without turning around.

 

‘Sam texted you.‘

 

 

‘Did you want to move out of the bunker? Other hunters in the area can’t be good news.’

 

‘We’ll stay here. Safest place on earth, right?’ Dean walked into the room finally, standing beside the angel, oblivious to Sam creeping up to the doorway. ‘What exactly does she know?’

 

‘I’ve told her nothing of the hunters. I had to teach her about the other angels, how heaven works, where she fits into it all.’

 

Dean crossed his arms, bringing one hand up to chew on a fingernail. Castiel noticed the movement, and fought the urge to put his hand on Dean’s shoulder. It would be such a small gesture, but Dean would still resist it, based on some rule that Castiel could never fathom.

 

‘Is Bear awake?’ Dean broke the silence. They both looked to the Bear, whose glassy eyes could never close. Dean had never questioned whether the bear could sleep or not, but he would hate for his daughter to find out she was in danger by a stuffed toy. It was his job to tell her, and to protect her, and it was a job he took seriously.

 

‘Bear?’ Castiel asked as loudly as he dared, without waking the little girl cuddling up to it. The bear didn’t move.

 

‘What exactly does Bear even know about the other hunters?’ Sam asked from the doorframe. Dean and Castiel turned around quickly, both with slightly guilty looks on their faces. Sam didn’t see why, since they were both just talking about the safety of Siobhan, but then he reasoned, they were probably guilty for forgetting about him. He had a sudden vision of the three of them – and Bear – increasingly leaving him out of things. For some reason, that thought particularly hurt.

 

‘We need to talk somewhere else. Bear, if you are awake, keep an eye on Siobhan. Anything weird goes down, you let us know.’ Dean took charge, as he always did.

 

He led the way out of Siobhan’s room, and Castiel pulled the door closed before following Dean and Sam out down the hallway, into the nearest empty room.

 

‘So, what’s the plan?’ Sam asked as soon as they were in there. Dean sat on the desk in the room, facing his brother and his angel.

 

‘We stay in here for a few days, we’ve got enough food to last. In a few days, we go out, see what’s going on with those guys. We don’t give anything away to Siobhan, we let her have some normal time while we still can. But we all keep an eye on her. If they find her, if they work out a way to get in that we haven’t found yet,’

 

Dean didn’t seem to be able to go on. And this time, Castiel couldn’t help himself from reaching a hand out to reassure Dean.

 

‘We’ll be ready, Dean.’ Castiel looked at Sam, hinting that he should take his turn reassuring his brother.

 

‘Yeah, Dean. I mean, she’s a little annoying sometimes, but I know how much she means to you.’

 

Dean nodded slowly, and then stood up, walking across the room.

 

‘I’m going to bed.’

 

*

 

Dean was tossing and turning in his bed. Castiel stood in the corner of the room, invisible, watching him. He could tell Dean was having a nightmare, but he was frozen in indecision about what to do. Dean’s nightmares happened infrequently, but Castiel knew there were a few ways they could go. He could shove Castiel away in the throes of the dream, or actually swipe out to hit him. Sometimes, Dean cuddled him close, only letting him go when the nightmare was over. Whatever happened, when Dean came to, he was ashamed, barely looking Castiel in the eye in the morning. Castiel wasn’t sure what to make of it, why Dean would be so embarrassed around him.

 

‘Cas, Cas,’ Dean’s voice was low, urgent, clogged with sleep. Castiel pretended to flash in, creeping closer to the bed. Dean sat up slightly, looking around blearily. So Dean had woken up. He gestured for Castiel to come closer, and Castiel did hesitantly. This had only happened maybe once or twice before, that Dean had woken from his dream and called for him, like a security blanket, in the night. Those times were the most confusing.

 

Dean wouldn’t stop beckoning Castiel over until Castiel was perched on the edge of the bed, up close to Dean.

 

‘I’m here,’ Castiel reassured him. Dean reached over and grabbed his arm.

 

‘I know,’ and slowly, Dean pulled Castiel closer, lying back on the bed as he did, tugging Castiel until he was on top of him. Just like the last time.

 

‘Dean,’ Castiel hissed through his teeth, as Dean continued tugging at him, to crawl further up the bed, to get under the covers with him, to lose his clothes.

 

The first time this had happened, Castiel had been more enthusiastic. Grateful that suddenly, Dean seemed to be accepting their bond again, was craving the physical feeling with Castiel as much as Castiel craved it with him. His clothes had practically flown off, his trenchcoat knocking over the lamp in the motel they were in at the time, a few miles from Cassandra’s house. Siobhan was only a few hours old, and Castiel had hoped it was the joy of their new baby that had made Dean let his guard down. It had been different to the times when Castiel was in Cassandra, and much worse in the morning, when Dean barely said a word to him.

 

And so now, Castiel was more reluctant. But Dean was insistent, using Castiel’s tie to pull him closer, pressing his lips to Castiel’s. And sure, Castiel was an angel, but he was weak when it came to Dean. He gave in, kissing Dean back just as ferociously. And he let Dean shed the trenchcoat, and the shirt underneath, as he felt Dean’s temperature rising.

 

‘Cas,’ Dean kept muttering, wrigging under Castiel, his hands sliding over Castiel’s skin. And Castiel went along with it all, until Dean grabbed hold of his hand, and started angling it down his underpants. This had all happened That Time too, and Castiel still hurt from it.

 

‘No, Dean.’ Castiel sounded more in control than he felt.

 

‘Please, Cas,’ Dean mumbled, and Castiel considered making Dean go back to sleep, just so he didn’t have to feel so conflicted. Yes, he wanted Dean badly, had been missing even a hint of this, but he didn’t want what he knew what happen after.  It wasn’t worth it, to touch Dean where he wanted, to follow Dean’s orders to suck, to kiss, to turn around, to stay quiet. Not if Dean was just going to blank him for a week afterwards.

 

But then Dean rolled him over, straddled him, his chest pushing down on the angel, and his hands working on Castiel’s pants. His breathing was erratic, but every move was calculated. Castiel saw his only chance to break the pattern.

 

‘Dean, please, don’t ignore me.’

 

Dean paused for a moment, looking down at Castiel through the darkness.

 

‘I won’t,’ he promised, bending back over Castiel, going in for the kill. And Castiel thought he heard – or maybe Dean just thought it, and the thought broke through all Dean’s normal defenses – Dean whisper, barely more than a breath. ‘I love you, Cas.’

 

And Castiel pulled him down, on top of him, and allowed Dean to do whatever the hell he wanted.

 

*

 

Castiel spent the night in Dean’s bed, watching him sleep, keeping an ear tuned to the room next door, where Siobhan was asleep. Dean barely stirred until the morning, and Castiel was content to just watch him sleep, propped on an arm, lying right beside Dean.

 

When Dean’s eyes opened, they zeroed straight in on Castiel. He seemed to start, before settling back on the bed.

 

‘Have you checked on her?’ Dean asked first.

 

‘I’ve been listening. She was asleep until half an hour ago, when she started singing songs with Bear. They sound like the songs you play in the car.’

 

Dean grinned lazily, stretching an arm out and under his pillow. ‘Atta girl.’ He smiled up at Castiel, who felt that stupid hope stirring in his chest again. ‘We should let her fly for a little today. Give her some freedom while we can.’

 

‘I don’t think that’s wise Dean.’

 

Dean shrugged, and rolled out of bed. Castiel tried to fight the urge to watch Dean cross the room, completely naked. He failed. But Dean didn’t seem to notice as he pulled on new clothes, casting half a glance over at Castiel.

 

‘Cas? Put some clothes on. Sam’s not ready for that, yet.’

 

Castiel smiled, and started wriggling out of the bed, pausing as Dean chucked a shirt over his head.

 

‘Wear some of my stuff. We’ll make Sam do some laundry.’

 

So Castiel pulled the shirt on, and the other clothes that Dean chucked his way, and followed him to the room next door, to check in on their daughter.


	8. Chapter 8

Dean stepped onto soft grass, Castiel just beside him, closing the door behind him. The field they were in seemed to stretch for miles, curving slightly in the distance, as though they were on some plateau of a giant hill. There were more hills in the horizon, and a bay in the distance, the sea glittering and deep blue. Above, the sky shone brightly, a few lazy clouds floating by, and an impossibly brilliant rainbow arched over them. Dean shot a look at Castiel, who was bending down and rubbing a thumb along the petal of a flower he’d found. He looked up again, and saw a small black dot in the distance, dancing through the sky, wings flapping and hands clapping, echoing around the scenery.

 

‘It’s beautiful out here,’ Castiel sighed, his voice laced with some blissful longing. Dean resisted yelling at the angel.

 

‘Did she do this? Is this another one of her tricks? How comes you could hear her singing a minute ago, and her room looks like this now?’

 

Castiel heard the panic in Dean’s voice, and he reeled back slightly.

 

‘She must have just done it. She was definitely singing the tiger song when I was listening in. Dean, it’s fine.’

 

‘Okay,’ Dean pushed his fists into his jacket pocket, so he didn’t hit out at Castiel. ‘Okay, so this isn’t shocking to you, that our two-year-old daughter can make entire worlds, but this is hard to deal with, Cas! I knew she’d be different, I knew there would be some surprises, but this? Was the flying not enough? Or reading my mind? Or enchanting a toy that I then had to trust to watch out for her? I’m on the wrong side of crazy here, Cas.’

 

‘Dean, it will be fine. And it’s not an entire world, it’s just her idea of heaven.’

 

‘Oh, is that all?’ Dean grouched.

 

‘You’re right, this kind of creation is huge for two-years-old. But please, don’t be angry with her-‘

 

‘There are hunters on our asses right now, Cas. This isn’t going to help!’ Dean growled again, and turned away from Castiel to where he could see Siobhan flying around in the distance. ‘SIOBHAN MARY WINCHESTER, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE NOW!’

 

They watched as the black dot started growing closer, Castiel feeling disheartened and Dean increasingly frustrated. But as she came closer, and they began to pick out details, they could see that she wasn’t alone. She was sat atop a flying unicorn, Bear in a saddlebag beside her. Bear looked a little green, but Siobhan looked radiant. She’d grown her hair, and dressed herself in a princess-style dress Dean knew she didn’t own. The unicorn settled on the ground in front of Dean, and Siobhan looked down at him unsurely. He pointed to the ground, and she flapped her wings, rising off of the unicorn and settling slowly on the ground near Castiel. She reached her hand out towards him, and Castiel took it as she tried to hide behind him. Dean wasn’t playing that game.

 

‘Siobhan,’ he growled.

 

‘She’s on the ground, she’s off the horse, isn’t that enough?’ Castiel pleaded her case. Dean had a sudden flash of a memory, of John trying to lay into Sam, and Dean taking the same role as Castiel was playing. He took a deep breath, made himself calm down, and then stooped to Siobhan’s level.

 

‘Siobhan, this is very impressive. You’re very creative.’ She peeked out from Castiel’s legs, smiling unsurely. Obviously, she expected Dean to continue yelling at her. ‘Mommy thinks it’s your idea of heaven?’

 

She nodded timidly, still holding onto Castiel.

 

‘Well, I like your heaven, very much. But princess, you can’t make it right now, okay? We need to turn your room back to your room, and hide your wings away.’

 

Her lips trembled as her eyes filled with tears.

 

‘But it’s my favourite toy, Daddy.’

 

‘Even more than Bear?’ Dean checked. He looked at the unicorn, where Bear was still clinging to the saddlebag.

 

‘Bear’s not my toy, she’s my friend. Daddy, Bear said …’

 

Dean looked back at his tiny daughter as she struggled to find the words she needed. Dean took control back.

 

‘Did Bear tell you about hunters?’ Dean’s voice was soft, and Siobhan nodded slowly, still looking miserable. So Bear didn’t sleep. Sneaky stuffed toy. ‘What did Bear say?’

 

‘That you and Mommy and Uncle Sam were talking about hunters. And Bear knows hunters, hunters go after bears! I was going to hide her.’

 

She twisted her feet together and looked down as the tears started to escape from her eyes. Dean’s heart melted back into its metaphorical puddle, and he slowly reached out, taking her hand from Castiel, and pulling her close towards him. She still had a grip on Castiel, and pulled him into their hug as well, Dean accommodating the angel to his surprise. They’d slept together the night before, and Castiel really wasn’t expecting the intimacy.

 

‘We promise you, Siobhan, it’s not Bear who’s in danger from hunters. Not the kind we’re talking about. These other hunters, princess, they’ve heard about you. It’s you they’re after.’

 

Her tiny body started shaking with the intensity of her sobs, as the bedroom door opened. Dean craned his neck to look at the door, where Sam was standing, looking at the three of them. Staring.

 

‘Hey, Uncle Sam’s here, he might be able to make it better,’ Dean promised her. She wriggled around, still sobbing, to look forlornly at Sam. He gave a tentative smile, his eyes looking all around at the scene in front of him, but nodded.

 

‘Yeah, how about pancakes for breakfast? I’ll even try and do bear-shaped ones for Bear. Sound good?’

 

Siobhan nodded, and went over to Sam, who surprised himself by scooping her up in his arms.

 

‘Pancakes in ten, Dean!’ Sam called as he led the tiny nephilim away.

 

‘Cool. Hey, Siobhan?’ Dean called back. Siobhan looked over Sam’s shoulder at her father. ‘Clear up time.’

 

She waved a hand, and the vision disappeared. Dean found himself still hugging Castiel, crowded up on Siobhan’s tiny sofa. He looked up at Castiel, who was staring at his mouth thoughtfully. Dean knew that look well, but this time, he was having trouble remembering why it felt like such a horrible idea, to have Castiel love him the way he clearly did.

 

‘Maybe I should have softened the blow,’ Dean whispered, his own eyes flickering between Castiel’s eyes and lips.

 

‘She needs to know. She needs to prepare herself. I think she has enough abilities to put up a real fight.’

 

‘I hope so,’ Dean nodded, Castiel’s eyes following his every movement. Dean took a huge chance, once he rarely took. ‘Has it been ten minutes yet?’

 

‘It’s barely been one.’ Castiel frowned. Dean smirked, and moved his head forward, kissing Castiel lightly, trying to imagine it was Castiel in some girl’s body. And then he felt terrible, like he wasn’t giving Castiel the respect he deserved. Dean pulled away abruptly.

 

‘We’d better take Bear to Siobhan. She’ll be going crazy without him. And it’s not fair to leave her with Sam.’

 

He stood up and approached Siobhan’s bed, trying to ignore the defeatist way in which Castiel’s shoulders slumped. Dean kicked himself mentally. He had to stop building Castiel up and then knocking him down like this. But he didn’t know what to do with himself about the way he felt, and the circumstances they were under. He walked from Siobhan’s room, not daring to turn and see if the angel was following him.

 

He found Siobhan standing on an upturned crate, wearing an apron and a paper chef’s hat, standing next to Sam at the counter. He was talking her through making the pancake batter, and Dean leaned against the wall, trying to be quiet. It was the first time he’d seen Sam genuinely smiling around his niece as he explained what ingredient was what, and where it came from, and answered all of Siobhan’s questions seriously, like she was a mini-adult. Dean grinned as Siobhan clutched the bowl and stirred the spoon around, trying to mix everything together. Sam looked up and saw Dean, his smile plastered on his face.

 

‘I thought you’d be longer with Cas.’

 

‘Nah, I didn’t want to miss my girl’s first taste of pancakes,’ Dean shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘You look like you’re having fun.’

 

‘Uncle Sam is fun!’ Siobhan beamed, her tears clearly forgotten. ‘He knows more about food than Daddy Cas.’

 

‘That’s because Daddy Cas doesn’t eat food, he doesn’t need to know.’ Sam assured her.  ‘The pan’s hot enough now. I should do this bit, okay?’

 

Sam took the bowl gently from her, and she pouted, folding her arms.

 

‘Why?’

 

‘Because you have to be a big person to cook hot things.’ Sam told her. She sized him up, and then looked at Dean.

 

‘Daddy, am I ever going to be a big person?’

 

It was a question that Dean didn’t feel comfortable with answering. But he forced himself to say something.

 

‘Well, not as big as Uncle Sam, but no one’s ever going to get that tall.’

 

Siobhan giggled, but turned serious quickly.

 

‘Daddy, Uncle Sam says you’re a hunter, and he’s a hunter.’

 

Dean saw where she was going, but couldn’t articulate what she wanted to know. But he was beaten to the punch by a voice directly beside him. Castiel. And he hadn’t even noticed.

 

‘It’s complex, Siobhan, but yes, Daddy and Uncle Sam are the same type of hunters. But they would never hunt you.’

 

Siobhan looked into the pan, and tugged on Sam’s sleeve.

 

‘Uncle Sam!’

Sam looked at the pan, and pulled it off the oven, peering at the pancake inside dubiously.

 

‘So who likes their pancakes half-cooked and crispy?’ Sam sounded sheepish. Siobhan blinked up at him, and even Dean wondered if he was serious. But then Sam winked at Siobhan, and flicked his wrist, and the pancake turned in the air, landing batter-side down with a hiss. Siobhan giggled and clapped, enjoying Sam’s pancake flipping show for the rest of the stack.

 

Dean got out the plates, syrup, knives and forks and put them on the table as Sam continued making pancakes, even letting Siobhan flip a cake or two with his supervision. Dean kept his eye on them the whole time, but everything seemed okay. Maybe Sam was over the whole Siobhan-takes-all-my-stuff issue. Maybe Siobhan was choosing to blindly accept Castiel’s reassurances about Sam and Dean and their job. They all sat down together, Sam even serving a pancake up for Castiel, though he knew Cas would never eat it. For ten minutes, they were silent as they chewed and swallowed. Which was how they heard the moment something banged on the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Sam and Dean exchanged a worried look, and Castiel looked between them both as Siobhan happily played with her pancakes. Dean gave Sam a small nod, and Sam got up from the table, sliding the gun out of the waistband of his jeans. Siobhan gasped, and Dean put a hand gently on her arm, before following Sam over to the door.

 

‘If anyone but us walks back in, you’re the caretaker of this place, she’s your daughter, and we’re staying here because you knew Dad. No angel powers, at all.’ Dean said abruptly, disappearing out of the room, and then pulling his gun out as well. The last thing he needed was to explain to his tiny little girl the entire reason why he and Sam had them.

 

Ahead, Sam pointed the barrel of his gun first at himself, and then at the main door, and then still using the pistol, he pointed at Dean, and then in the direction of the garage. Dean nodded again, sliding a samurai sword out of the nearby display and wielding it upon his shoulder, his gun still in front of him. As he walked down the hallway, he glanced back, and saw Sam rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Dean resisted the urge to argue back, too scared of what it could mean if hunters had broken into the bunker.

 

He made it to the garage, pinning himself against the wall and peering out through the doorway, trying to adjust to the lack of light in the room. All he could make out was the tiniest gleam from all the old cars and motorbikes that the Men of Letters had bought and kept there. He began creeping through, refusing to turn the light on, his eyes scanning for any danger.

 

Meanwhile, Sam was looking around as he crept up the curved iron staircase towards the front door. His eyes were scanning everywhere, but he couldn’t see anything amiss. He slowly eased the handle of the front door open, and peeked outside. All he could see was the worn path, and the tree line. He crept out slowly, holding the gun out with his fingers on the trigger, and turned in a full circle. When he realised it was all clear, he went back into the bunker and secured the door. He crept slowly back into the bunker, still scanning around, but saw nothing. He did not lower his gun as he walked back into the kitchen.

 

Siobhan took one look at the barrel of Sam’s gun pointing at her and screamed, burying her face into Castiel. Sam lowered the gun quickly, putting it back in his waistband and crossing the room.

 

‘Shhh, Siobhan! I’m sorry!’ He bent down by the small girl, but she clung tighter to Castiel.

 

‘Mommy, you don’t have one, do you? You don’t have what made my other Mommy sick, do you?’

 

Sam had been taken aback by her calling Castiel “Mommy”, not “Daddy Cas” as he’d been used to hearing from her, but when she carried on talking, Sam felt a lead weight in his stomach. He knew Dean had no idea Cassandra had been shot, and from the look on Castiel’s face, he didn’t either. But the police department had said it was natural causes, a sickness.

 

Dean came running into the room as Sam was having these revelations, the samurai sword held high in the air. He froze when he saw that only his family sat in the kitchen, and Siobhan screamed again. Dean turned around, expecting someone to have appeared behind him, but it soon dawned on him that the sword was the reason for the screaming. He put it on the counter, and pushed his way next to his daughter.

 

‘Princess, I’m sorry, I was looking for intruders.’ He cuddled her, catching Castiel’s arms too, and looked up at Sam. ‘You see anything?’

 

‘All clear.’ Sam shrugged. ‘Dean, Siobhan saw my gun, she said she saw one when Cassandra died.’

 

Dean looked down at the little girl in his arms, who was still clinging to Castiel.

 

‘Siobhan,’ his voice was tender, and he stroked her fine, wispy hair softly. She gave a small sniffle, and there was another loud bang. Dean looked up at Sam again.

 

‘Yeah, I’ll check it out,’ he paused, his hand back near his waistband. ‘Was that coming from Siobhan’s room?’

 

He walked out anyway, going to check in her bedroom first, as Dean and Castiel concentrated on soothing their toddler. At one point, during a particularly fierce hug, Dean looked up at Castiel, whose face was just inches from his own. They looked at each other seriously, trying to communicate without including Siobhan. Dean was resigning himself to the fact that he was going to have to sit Siobhan down, and explain what he and Sam did for a living, and how that was going to play such a huge role in Siobhan’s life. But he didn’t want to do that just then, especially not with the way Castiel was looking at him. It was like he used to, when he was using Cassandra as a vessel, sweet and shy but with a lot of adoration in there. And this much, Dean could manage. But he knew that for Castiel, it wasn’t enough, that although the wait for Dean to live his life and join Castiel in heaven was something that Castiel could very well manage, it was in the days passing that it became hard, in the intimate moments like this.

 

He wanted to love Castiel in the same way, in the way he’d been free to do when Castiel looked like a girl, when all the hang ups that life had drummed into him had ceased to matter. When he could focus on Castiel for who Castiel was, and not his gender’s vessel. And if that made him homophobic, well, so be it. He didn’t understand how it could happen, not really. He knew he’d slipped up a few times, and coerced Castiel to sleep with him, to let him use Castiel’s vessel, and pretend it wasn’t a guy he was giving it to. But that didn’t mean it sat right with him, that didn’t mean he didn’t feel guilty afterwards. He was sick of feeling guilty, of wondering if Jimmy was still in there, judging Dean, of how much he was hurting his best friend.

 

He tried to communicate all of this in the way he looked at Castiel, and from the way Castiel was staring back, it was becoming obvious to Dean that he was giving his own message. That he didn’t care if he and Dean were both in male meat suits, he didn’t care for homophobia. That to Castiel, almost everything that mattered was right there in this hug. His Dean, his daughter, they were two huge parts of him. And he was so close, Dean could make out every individual eyelash …

 

‘Ahem,’ Sam coughed pointedly from the doorway. Dean and Castiel broke the intense stare, and Siobhan cuddled back into Castiel, peeping around his arm at her uncle. ‘It was Bear. When Siobhan wiped her vision away, he got stuck in a pillowcase somehow? He was banging against the headboard, trying to get out.’

 

‘She.’ Dean said automatically.

 

‘Bear!’ Siobhan sniffled. ‘Where’s Bear?’

 

‘Here you go sweetie,’ Sam held Bear out for her, and she snatched Bear tentatively out of Sam’s hand.

 

‘Thank you Uncle Sam.’

 

He smiled, and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back away from his face.

 

‘No problem, sweetie.’

 

She cuddled Bear tightly, and snuggled further into Castiel. Dean looked over at Sam, and breathed out a huge sigh of relief.

 

*

 

Dean was making dinner that night, as Siobhan and Castiel moved into their fifth hour of watching Disney Channel. He’d managed to survive an hour stuffed with Princess Sofia and Jake and the Neverland Pirates, but there was no way he could tolerate Doc McStuffins. Instead, he was trying to cook spaghetti, figuring that maybe Siobhan wouldn’t seem so scared if she had something fun to eat. She’d clung to Castiel all day, ever since the gun-and-samurai sword incident. Dean had tried, over peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches at lunchtime, to explain everything to her, but she had held onto Castiel’s arm so tightly at the mere mention of hunters and guns that Dean had given up quickly. She was just too young. All she wanted was pink, fluffy, princess-themed stuff. She was just a normal toddler, at heart. Dean felt defeated by the situation, and he leaned against the table top as he was stirring the sauce for the meatballs. Suddenly, someone was pressing into him from behind, their arms snaking around his midsection, their fingers tickling as they skated across his thin shirt. He managed to force a small chuckle.

 

‘Hey, Cas,’ he murmured. He felt a kiss being pressed gently into his back, along his spine. ‘Where’s Siobhan?’

 

‘With Sam. He has an abundant knowledge of Disney characters. I think she’s making her peace with him after this morning.’

 

‘You get sick of the TV?’

 

‘I wanted to check you were okay. I know that her mistrust has hit you harder than you’re willing to admit.’

 

‘Hmmm,’ was all Dean was willing to reply. He turned around, still in Castiel’s arms, and acted before he had time to think, to put all his usual doubts at the forefront of his mind. He kissed Castiel gently on the lips, his hands resting on Castiel’s hips. Castiel kissed him back happily, content with the soft, barely there kisses that Dean was peppering him with. He broke away after a few happy minutes.

 

‘Why do you do this, Dean?’ Castiel sounded as unsure as it was possible for an angel to sound. ‘Why are you pushing the boundaries when we both know you’re going to withdraw at any moment? I know how you feel, even if you didn’t express it verbally, you make it more than clear that you’re uncomfortable. And now we have Siobhan, maybe we should be more consistent.’

 

Dean knew what he was actually saying. He was making it clear he didn’t like Dean jerking him about. And he was right, they had Siobhan to consider.

 

‘She was asking me the other day if I loved you, and you loved me. I said yes, but I think she’s asking because she has no idea of how you feel about either of us.’

 

Dean sighed, and rested his forehead against Castiel’s, his hands massaging along Castiel’s midriff.

 

‘You’re my family,’ it was the best way Dean knew of expressing exactly how he felt. How else could he say that his entire world had shrunk down to just Castiel, Siobhan, and Sam?

 

‘What does that mean, exactly?’ Castiel pushed. Dean lowered his hands, onto the very tops of Castiel’s thighs.

 

‘It means that you come first, all three of you, no matter what.’

 

Castiel nodded slowly, and leaned closer to kiss Dean gently again on the mouth. They stopped discussing the complexities of their relationship to concentrate on this tenuous connection. Dean was trying to see how long he could last this time, how much he could calm Castiel’s nerves, and Castiel was trying to grab onto the moment, to enjoy it before Dean climbed back into his usual shell, put his guard up, closed him out.

 

‘Oh, sorry!’ Sam’s voice floated through the doorway. Sam had a knack of choosing the worst moments to walk in and witness Dean’s moments of weakness. He pulled away from Castiel wearily, looking over the angel’s shoulder to where Sam was carrying Siobhan. ‘She wanted juice.’ Sam explained hesitantly. She was smiling at her parents, reaching out for Castiel.

 

‘Daddy does love you, Mommy!’ she beamed. Castiel broke away from Dean to take her from Sam, and Sam crossed over to the refrigerator to grab her a juice box.

 

‘Dean, is dinner done?’ Sam still sounded hesitant, and Dean grabbed the chance to avoid the subject about what Sam had witnessed. He turned around, and saw the spaghetti pot boiling over. He cussed, and moved the dials about, calming the water, and turning the sauce off, checking the meatballs he’d already put into the oven.

 

He concentrated on finishing the meal, and putting it all into dishes, separating Siobhan’s out and cutting it up so it could cool down for her, then bringing it all up to the table for Sam and Castiel to help themselves. He placed Siobhan’s plate of spaghetti and meatball mush in front of her, and kissed her hair gently as he did. She cuddled him tightly.

 

‘Thank you Daddy,’

 

‘Any time, Princess.’

 

He caught Castiel’s eye and smiled warmly, then noticed Sam’s troubled expression, and his smile began to slide off his face. Sam’s expression mirrored all of Dean’s doubts, all of his hang-ups. Sam broke off the look when his phone chimed. He pulled it out of his pants pocket and flipped it open to read as Dean sat beside him, scooping a ridiculously large mound of spaghetti onto his own plate.

 

‘Huh,’ Sam snorted out. ‘Ted wants to know if we’ve checked out Wichita. He said it’s clear of the nephilim, and of us.’

 

‘Tell him we’re halfway to Ohio by now.’ Dean growled, and dumped a bunch of sauce onto his plate. He shoved a huge mound into his mouth, but he could barely taste it. He was now in a bad mood, too annoyed that other hunters were after his kid. Why the hell couldn’t they leave well enough alone? Siobhan was thankfully too engrossed in chasing her food around her plate with her spoon to notice her father and uncle’s bad moods, and Dean intended to keep her in the dark now for as long as possible. He was trusting Castiel’s advice that she would be able to handle herself should anything go awry, and hope in the mean time that the other hunters would continue swallowing the lies he and Sam were feeding them.

 

‘We should think about our options,’ Sam said, and stuffed a meatball, whole, into his mouth.

 

‘I thought we were splitting babysitting duties because we were out of options?’ Dean shot back, annoyed that Sam was once again trying to break up the little group, starting with his daughter.

 

‘There’s one option we haven’t considered. A dependable babysitter with a history of winning over kids.’ Sam pointed out. Dean stared at him silently, hoping Sam knew that he was non-verbally cussing him out, just so Siobhan wasn’t shocked by his profanity. ‘Seriously, we lead these guys to Ohio, and then we go find him.’

 

‘Him? You have someone in mind?’ Castiel interrupted. Sam grinned smugly.

 

‘Yep, someone who wouldn’t bat an eyelid over a kid with wings, who lives somewhere remote enough to allow her some freedom, and him some warning of visitors.’

 

Dean was still not impressed.

 

‘Who?’


	10. Chapter 10

Dean followed Sam up to the picturesque cottage set on the edge of an idyllic town. Sam had insisted on driving, and Dean only began to realise where Sam was aiming for in the last few miles. Their conversation had been heated, but kept to a low volume so they didn’t disrupt Castiel and Siobhan in the back.

 

‘Are you freaking kidding me?’ Dean hissed as they went up the porch steps.

 

‘Would you give it a break, and cut him some slack? He’s good with kids.’ Sam sounded far too relaxed for Dean’s liking.

 

‘He’s a freaking werewolf! How do you think she’s going-‘

 

‘I keep telling you Dean, I’m a lycanthrope.’ Garth’s voice cut through Dean’s irritated rant. ‘What brings you two over?’

 

‘We have a situation, we think you might be able to help.’ Sam tried to appeal to Garth. Garth looked at Dean pointedly.

 

‘I don’t know, why should I? I’m a “freaking werewolf” right? You’re so prejudiced, Dean.’

 

‘That’s not what I meant, Garth,’ Dean sighed, rubbing a thumb nail along his eyebrows, as though he could release the tension he was feeling there. ‘I made my peace with that.’

 

‘Then why the werewolf hate?’ Garth folded his arms, as his wife walked out of the room.

 

‘Hey there, Dean!’ She smiled. ‘And Sam, good to see you.’

 

‘Hi Bess.’ Sam nodded. Dean looked away, at the car, where he could just make out Castiel and Siobhan. Garth misinterpreted Dean’s glance to the car.

 

‘You can leave if you want to Dean, I didn’t ask you over.’

 

Dean glared back at him, and Sam decided to intervene, to talk fast.

 

‘Look, Garth, can we trust you and Bess with something? Something pretty huge? It’s not going to be safe, or easy, but you were the person we thought of first.’ Sam gestured to the car himself. ‘There’s someone in the car we need you to look after, watch out for. She’s being hunted, and we figured you could relate better than anyone else.’

 

‘What is she?’ Garth asked, his interest peaked, his ego flattered.

 

‘Half-angel.’

 

‘No way, you tracked the nephilim?’ Sam and Dean glared at him. ‘Hey, I’m still part of the hunting circle, I know what goes down. She grew her wings in the middle of preschool?’

 

‘You’re not out to kill her?’ Dean growled. Garth smiled.

 

‘Of course not. She’s just a kid, right?’

 

Dean watched him for a few seconds, before seeming to relax.

 

‘Right. Can we talk more in your house? I’ll go get her.’

 

He walked away to the car and Garth looked up at Sam.

 

‘Why do I get the feeling you two are in deep?’

 

‘I don’t know Garth, because we’re the Winchesters?’

 

They watched as Dean lifted the little girl out of the car, and Castiel flashed out from where he’d been sitting, walking with Dean and Siobhan up the steps. Dean seemed a little calmer, as he held the tiny girl close.

 

‘Garth, Bess, this is Siobhan. And you’ve met Cas, right Garth?’

 

Garth shook his head, and Dean shrugged.

 

‘Well, okay. Cas is an angel. Cas, Siobhan, this is Garth and Bess.’

 

Siobhan cuddled right into Dean.

 

‘Daddy, what’s wrong with their faces?’ she sounded terrified. Garth, although normally obtuse, picked up on what she’d said.

 

‘You’re her Daddy, Dean? You weren’t kidding when you said it was a situation, huh?’ He shook his head, and folded his arms.

 

‘You’ll get the whole messy story if you let us in. I feel naked out here.’ Dean stropped. Garth smirked, and shook his head again, before walking into the house.

 

‘Bess, be a dear and fix them some iced tea,’ he smiled at his wife as he led Sam, Dean, Siobhan and Castiel into his front room. ‘We redecorated recently, what did you think?’

 

‘They’re werewolves.’ Castiel declared abruptly. Everyone looked at him, but his focus was only on Dean. ‘I’m not entrusting her to werewolves.’

 

‘It’s Garth,’ Dean assured him, ignoring the way Garth overreacted to the semi-compliment. ‘Garth was a hunter first, okay? And he’s good with kids.’

 

‘Did you want me to get Mr Fizzles?’ Garth suddenly asked, his enthusiasm evident. Dean suppressed a groan, as Garth left the room momentarily. He returned with a sock puppet on one arm, putting on a stupid voice for effect.

 

‘Hello little girl, I’m Mr Fizzles. I want to be your friend!’

 

Siobhan leaned back in Dean’s arms, pouting as she stared at Garth’s gloved hand.

 

‘Are you going to tell Mr Fizzles your name?’

 

Her lip trembled, and Garth began to animate the puppet, twisting it around as though the sock puppet was real. Dean swallowed his own annoyance about the sock puppet, and bent to whisper in Siobhan’s ear.

 

‘It’s okay, you can talk to him. Mommy, Uncle Sam and me are here.’

 

Siobhan nodded, and wrapped her little arms around Dean’s neck, peering out at the sock puppet.

 

‘Hello Mr Fizzles. I’m Siobhan.’

 

‘That’s a pretty name,’ Garth-as-Mr-Fizzles said. She gave a weak smile, and her eyes flickered to Garth’s face.

 

‘What’s wrong with that man?’

 

‘A lot,’ Dean couldn’t help himself. Garth gave him a tired look, before continuing to entertain Siobhan.

 

‘That man suffers from lycanthropy. And you’re a nephilim, aren’t you?’

 

She nodded slowly.

 

‘I think you and that man might have a lot in common. His name is Garth, why don’t you say hi?’

 

She looked at the sock puppet for a second, then shook her head, burying herself back into Dean’s chest.

 

‘She’s a little shy,’ Dean explained redundantly. Garth raised his eyebrows, and dropped the puppet.

 

‘So, nephilim are illegal. Totally against nature. Which angel did you do the deed with to get her? Why aren’t they here now, raising her up?’

 

‘It’s complicated.’ Dean grunted.

 

‘Hey, didn’t you kill the only other nephilim to walk the earth?’ Garth asked brightly. Dean could have killed _him_ right then.

 

‘She’s adverse to the notion of death. Please don’t discuss work around her.’ Castiel interjected stiffly. Garth looked at him as the penny dropped.

 

‘Your angel’s right here, huh? Well, how in the hell did that happen?’

 

Dean and Sam, stuttering between them, managed to fill in the basic blanks of Siobhan’s origin. Garth managed to be mature enough not to laugh.

 

‘Wow, so you ended up as the odd couple, huh? Well, I’m good if you want to leave her here, Bess can help teach her to bake and we can think of fun games to play. She could play fetch!’

 

Dean worked hard to control his frustration.

 

‘She’s not a dog, Garth!’ He snapped. Garth grinned at him, unphased.

 

‘Sure, but I bet she has her daddy’s arm on her. She can throw me the ball. I’d be like a giant person-dog for her.’

 

Dean, Sam and Castiel traded a tired look, but what other options did they have?

 

‘Anyway, she’d probably love Junior.’ Garth bent down and smiled at her. She buried her head further into Dean’s chest, almost painfully so.

 

‘Junior?’ Sam asked. Garth grinned.

 

‘Dean’s not the only daddy here. Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if when they grew up, Siobhan and Junior got married?’

 

‘There’s no way in hell that’s going to happen.’ Dean informed him curtly. Garth punched him lightly on the shoulder.

 

‘Again with the prejudice.’

 

‘Nope. Siobhan’s never dating. Like hell she’s going to get married.’

 

‘Dean’s a little over-protective,’ Sam gave the running commentary. Garth still didn’t seem insulted, which strangely, was helping Dean to calm down and start thinking rationally.

 

‘So, you’re cool with babysitting? You’re not worried about other hunters?’ Dean pressed. Garth waved a hand as though he could disperse Dean’s words.

 

‘Of course not! Who’s hunting her?’

 

‘Ted, Leroy and Stan.’

 

‘Those schmucks?’ Garth laughed, as Bess appeared with the iced tea. ‘Thanks honey. Go and get Junior, tell him he has a playdate.’

 

Bess smiled warmly at Siobhan, whose eyes were just visible as she peeped out from the comfort of her daddy, and walked back out of the room. In the quiet that followed, Garth rooted for a topic to bring up, a way of breaking some of the tension that he couldn’t read properly.

 

‘So, what will you guys do while Siobhan plays with my pup?’

 

‘We sent Ted and the others to Ohio, we’re trying to drive there by another route. We’ll say we doubled back for them, and lead them as far away from here as possible. It could be a few days.’ Sam’s eyes flickered to Dean, but Dean was gazing down at the timid little girl in his arms. ‘Are you sure you can handle Siobhan? She’s pretty powerful.’

 

‘She can fly, right? That’s what the news story said.’

 

‘Yeah, she can fly, she can do a couple of other things too. It’s a lot to take on.’ Sam found himself trying to talk Garth out of agreeing to watch the tiny girl.

 

‘Sam, it’s fine. Junior’s already a handful, how much worse can a second one be?’

 

As Garth spoke, a small boy came running into the room, fully dressed as Spiderman.

 

‘RARRRGHHH! I spiderman!’ he shouted, running right up to Sam and attempting to scale him.

 

‘Junior, no!’ Bess called out, and grimaced at Sam when she caught up to her son. ‘Sorry, Sam, he can be a nightmare, sometimes.’

 

‘It’s fine,’ Sam started passing it off, but before he could try and rationalise why it was fine, Junior began floating, scrabbling to try to hold something as he floated in mid-air.

 

‘Leave my Uncle Sam alone!’ Siobhan demanded, shooting Junior a glare that Dean would have been proud of. Garth laughed, completely unphased by his son floating in the middle of the room.

 

‘Telekinesis. She’s going to make life interesting.’

 

‘Are you sure about this?’ Dean demanded to know. Garth slung an arm around Dean’s shoulders.

 

‘I am. Are you?’

 

Dean looked down at Siobhan, who was still buried on his arms. He started trying to hand her to Garth, and although she tried to resist, he persisted until he was free. She promptly began crying, reaching out for Dean and Castiel, and Dean took a shaky step towards Sam, just avoiding Junior as he continued to float in the air, turning somersaults. He forced himself out of the door, trying to ignore Siobhan’s increasingly distressed wails, and Sam followed him quickly. Castiel lingered.

 

‘Werewolf, we’re trusting you. Should I find that Siobhan was ever in danger, I will smite you.’

 

He walked forward and kissed Siobhan’s forehead, then blinked out of the room, and into the backseat of the Impala. Siobhan realised that both Dean and Castiel had gone, had left her with these creatures whose wolf-faces seemed so obvious to her, and increased the volume of her crying. Garth cuddled her close, and crossed the room to flick Junior on the foot, sending him tumbling over and over in mid air, giggling happily. It was only when Garth began to sing nursery rhymes, his hands rubbing circles on her back, that she began to quieten down, to get calmer. She slowly lowered Junior to the ground, and started sucking her thumb. She glanced up at Garth with huge, tear-streaked eyes.

 

‘Where’s Bear?’


	11. Chapter 11

Siobhan was perched on the sofa, almost buried in the cushions. She’d been there since her Mommy and Daddy left with Uncle Sam. Left her alone with the werewolf family.

 

Junior played rough. He was tackling his daddy, gnawing on his ankles and growling like a dog. And his daddy just laughed, and pushed him onto the floor himself.

 

Siobhan didn’t like that game.

 

Junior liked running around, shouting at the top of his lungs, chasing his daddy, or having his daddy chase him.

 

Siobhan didn’t like that game either.

 

Junior chased a softball about as well, throwing it at Siobhan and shouting catch.

 

Siobhan really didn’t like that game. And Junior didn’t like it when she turned the ball into petals in the briefest moment before it hit her face.

 

Junior’s daddy had told him off for throwing the ball at her like that. Siobhan liked the petals.

 

Junior’s daddy, the one her own daddy had called Garth, he seemed like a nice person. He was smiley and he didn’t push too hard and he seemed to understand that Siobhan just wanted her mommy and daddy. But he still had a scary face, and Siobhan didn’t know why Mommy and Daddy would leave her with the scary-looking family.

 

She had read her daddy’s mind when he was going away. He didn’t want to leave her there, either. He felt bad when she started crying, his heart hurt. But he still let her go and made her hug Scary Garth and he was too scared to look back to say goodbye. Siobhan could _hear_ him think it.

 

Her tears had dried, when she realised Daddy wasn’t coming back. He’d gone away again, and taken Mommy. And they weren’t even in that big place where Daddy lives with her nice pink room and the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that Mommy makes. Or yummy pancakes from Uncle Sam.

 

Was it because Uncle Sam was looking for his uspen last week, and he’d got mad when the uspen turned up in Siobhan’s pretty polka dot bag? She didn’t even want the uspen, it was ugly, but Uncle Sam had insisted it was important and Siobhan had to “leave his crap alone”.

 

It must have been because Uncle Sam got mad, and Daddy was siding with Uncle Sam. If only Daddy would come back! She’d tell him that she was sorry and she didn’t mean it. Uncle Sam could have her felt tip pens to put in his computer, if he wanted. She got it now, Uncle Sam was in charge.

 

‘Hey, cutey, do you want some juice?’ Garth asked, interrupting Siobhan’s thoughts. She blinked up at him, wondering how someone could look so scary and smell like dinner - before Daddy cooked - and still be nice. He was trying to smile, maybe, but maybe he was thinking she looked like something really yummy to eat. She scrunched her eyes up and tried to wish her Daddy there. ‘Hey, don’t cry! It’s just a few days, okay? And then Sam and Dean will be back and you can go home, okay?’

 

Siobhan opened her eyes, and looked at him seriously. Did he mean it? Was Daddy coming back for her? She loved Daddy. Daddy was smart and he gave the best hugs and he called her Princess and when she lived with Mommy Cassie, he always brought her toys. Sometimes he could be scary, but even when he was mad, Siobhan could read his head, and know he loved her. That’s what Mommy had said she should do anyway.

 

Garth hadn’t said anything about Mommy. Did he not know what Siobhan knew? Mommy had told her all about grandpa, and all her angel uncles, and how beautiful heaven was. Mommy had lots of lessons to teach Siobhan when she was bigger, about trust and knowledge and power. But not now, because Daddy didn’t want it and Mommy would do anything for Daddy. So Mommy told her about history.

 

Garth was still waiting next to her, and Siobhan realised he meant it about the juice. He was waiting for her answer.

 

‘Are you homesick?’ He asked gently, as Bess came back in the room, and scooped Junior up. Siobhan stuck her thumb in her mouth and twirled her hair around her finger, blinking her eyes. She didn’t know what he meant. Garth started talking, like he had earlier, and Siobhan felt bad. He was talking like she couldn’t answer.

 

‘I used to get homesick as a kid, for the dumbest things. Sleepovers, sleep away camp, when my mom moved us halfway across the country. But, it gets easier, especially when there’s so many fun things to do around here! What do you like to do?’

 

Siobhan watched him carefully for a few more seconds, and then her eyes seemed to lose focus, and she and Garth were suddenly sitting in a flowery grove, a stream wriggling through the ground just beside them. They were in the empty space between the trunk and the leaves of a great willow tree. Garth looked around in amazement, and then back to her sharply.

 

‘You made this?’

 

He sounded surprised. Happy. Like Daddy did when she walked at four months old. She couldn’t help but smile back, reaching out to stroke one of the willow tendrils.

 

‘Are we still in my house?’ Garth asked quietly, glancing through the veil of leaves to the picturesque, storybook woodland they were in. ‘Hey, is Bambi in here?’

 

Siobhan’s smile grew. Garth knew about Bambi? Uncle Sam had said about Bambi! He said the story was sad, but Bambi and Thumper were best friends. Like Siobhan and Bear. She conjured the image of Bambi in her mind, and suddenly, the young deer was nuzzling through the fronds, occasionally eating a few leaves, and stopping by Siobhan to have his head rubbed. Garth laughed in happy amazement. Siobhan was starting to see why Daddy wasn’t worried about this Garth. He might look like a scary wolf, but his head and his heart were happy, and friendly. He was just trying to be nice.

 

‘Can I have some juice now please, Garth?’She whispered quietly, letting the illusion fade away. They were back in Garth’s front room. He leaned closer, and Siobhan steeled herself for an attack.

 

‘Of course you can, sweetie. We’ll get you grape, before Junior hogs it all. Okay?’

 

He held out his pinky, and Siobhan grinned as she caught it with hers. This was going to be just like with Daddy. She just had to avoid Junior. Garth held out his hands like Mommy did, clearly expecting to carry her, but Siobhan wasn’t ready for that yet. He still looked scary. He seemed to realise why she was hesitating, and ruffled her hair fondly before leaving her alone.

 

She could hear them talking in the kitchen, and although she couldn’t make out the words just by listening to the noise, she could still access their thoughts. Mommy had told her that people didn’t like having their thoughts invaded much, and she tried not to do it often, but she had to know what the werewolves were planning to do to her. She zeroed in on Garth’s thoughts, because Garth seemed like the nice man Daddy and Uncle Sam said he was.

 

_I hope that kid comes out of her shell soon. She’s nothing like her Daddy. Have to talk to Junior about calming the hell down around her._

 

_‘Where’s the angel kid?’_

 

_‘In the front room. Give her some time, she’s a little shy.’_

 

_‘I hope you know what you’re letting yourself in for, Garth. What if hunters come to us, for her? I know you can vouch for your friends, Sam and Dean are welcome at any time, but anyone else? They wouldn’t hesitate to kill us.’_

 

_‘You’re forgetting, I used to be a hunter too. I helped out more than enough of them at one time or another, if it comes to it, I’ll remind them that they owe me.’_

 

_‘Garth, honey, Dad’s just concerned that it won’t matter, now you’re one of us.’_

 

_‘I think the kid could help. She just, I don’t know if she put an image in my head, or took us somewhere new, or manipulated our surroundings, but we were just sitting in the forest making friends with baby deers. Her angelic powers are pretty strong. Maybe we could convince her to create something to hide us?’_

 

_‘She’s just a baby.’_

 

_They weren’t in that forest, they don’t know. I don’t want to use the kid, I just, I guess I was hoping she’d be more like Dean, willing to negotiate. Dean would do it._

 

Siobhan left Garth’s head, feeling confused. She didn’t know the other man’s voice, the one who thought more hunters were coming. Daddy had tried to explain about hunters, but it sounded scary. When Mommy talked about angel wars, it was just as scary. Siobhan didn’t like scary. She didn’t like that Mommy and Daddy fought people and had guns and swords and knives. She didn’t like that sometimes, when she was near Uncle Sam, she could smell something bad. Bear thought it was demons. Bear thought Uncle Sam was friends with demons and he was going to hurt Siobhan. But Siobhan didn’t think so. He got mad a lot and he wanted all of Daddy’s attention, but he could be fun. Siobhan didn’t know why Uncle Sam smelled of demons, except for maybe what Mommy had said about Daddy and Uncle Sam helping to stop them. And Uncle Sam couldn’t be a bad man if he helped Mommy, could he?

 

Garth came back in the room with a blue sippy cup and a big smile.

 

‘There you go sweetie. Bet you’re missing your Daddy, aren’t you?’

 

Siobhan nodded shyly, and Garth laughed, reaching out and rocking her foot slightly.

 

‘So, what other powers do you have? Are you going to show me?’

 

She still didn’t know if she could trust him, not fully. And Mommy was very clear about not using her powers, would Mommy get mad if she showed Garth something?

 

‘I guess you don’t have much control over it all, yet. That’s okay, you’re only a little one.’ He looked around the room, and stood up suddenly, making Siobhan flinch. ‘Want to play a game? Or do a puzzle?’

 

She opened up her wings - they’d been feeling uncomfortable tucked away - and flew over to where Garth was looking. He stepped backwards and crashed into a table, cussing loudly as he did. Her eyes grew wide as she dropped daintily to the ground and folded her wings back up. She hadn’t meant to startle him.

 

‘You’re crafty,’ Garth gasped out, rubbing where he’d gotten hurt. Siobhan felt bad that he had, that she’d hurt him. She put her hand up, reaching for his back, but he didn’t understand. ‘It’s okay, I was just surprised. Sorry for cussing.’

 

‘I can help.’ She told him, reaching up again. She was sure she could. She saved the goldfish, didn’t she? Maybe there had been something really wrong with Cassie, and that’s why Siobhan couldn’t save her. But it was only a little owwie, she could fix that. Garth let her put her hands on his back, and she concentrated on making her fingers warm. That helped last time. He started laughing, and stood up after a few moments.

 

‘Good as new!’ He beamed, and Siobhan smiled shyly too, then pointed at the bookcase.

 

‘Can we do the Disney picture?’

 

Garth looked at her with an expression she didn’t recognise. It was a happy one, whatever it meant.

 

‘Dean doesn’t know how lucky he is. Junior can barely talk still. Okay, prettyful, puzzle time!’ And he slid out the puzzle she’d requested, a thousand-piece one, but Garth was fairly confident that she would be able to cope. It must be the angelic influence, he decided, that made her so quiet and still. He’d researched on Castiel ages ago, when Dean first mentioned him, and knew that Castiel’s original role was to watch. Clearly, even though her Daddy doted on her, she was much more like the angel than Garth would have expected.

 

*

 

Dean and Sam had been driving across country for a few hours, and Dean’s mood was getting worse with every mile they put behind them. Castiel had flashed out, to go and sort out his own issues with the other angels, and Sam was increasingly aware that Dean missed both his angel and his daughter.

 

‘Think they took the bait?’

 

‘I hope so. I hope Garth’s got enough sense to keep her powers under wraps.’

 

Sam nodded. He hoped so too, but then again, this was Garth, who couldn’t hold his beer and wanted to become a werewolf for the girl he loved. He never went the route expected.

 

‘Did you want to call? Touch base?’ Sam asked hesitantly. He saw a tick appear in Dean’s cheek, and took it for a yes.

 

‘Let’s just get this over with.’

 

Clearly, Dean was just trying to resist calling every few seconds like he clearly wanted to. So Sam scrolled through his own phone, and found Garth’s number, dialling it and putting it onto speakerphone.

 

‘Hey Sam,’ Garth sounded cheerful. Dean sighed dramatically from the front seat.

 

‘Hey, how’s it going with Siobhan?’

 

‘Great! We’ve been in her forest and we’re just putting the last few pieces into a puzzle. Wait a sec, I’ll put you on speaker … Siobhan, Uncle Sam and Daddy are on the phone!’

 

‘Hello Daddy, hello Uncle Sam.’

 

Dean sniffed, but didn’t answer. Sam spoke back.

 

‘Sorry Princess, Daddy’s driving, he’s concentrating on the road. We won’t be long, okay? We’ll be back before you know it, and then Daddy’s going to give you the biggest hug ever.’

 

‘Uncle Sam, I’m sorry about your uspen.’

 

‘My what?’

 

‘Your uspen. You yelled at me for your uspen, and now you and Daddy left. So I’m sorry it was in my bag.’

 

Dean sniffed again, and Sam looked at him, realising that Dean was fighting back tears as he drove them on.

 

‘She means that USB pen you yelled at her for last week,’ Dean muttered, staring straight ahead.

 

‘Daddy!’

 

‘Hey, Princess,’ he croaked.

 

‘Sweetie, don’t worry about the USB pen. We didn’t leave you with Garth because of that. We’re going to get rid of the bad hunters, okay? Garth will look after you. I bet you’re having fun with him.’

 

‘The puzzle was good. But I miss Mommy and Daddy and Bear.’

 

The atmosphere in the car wasn’t pleasant. Sam had been sure he’d packed Bear, but they couldn’t find him when it came to dropping her at Garth’s. Dean’s mood had turned sour then.

 

‘We’ll find Bear, okay? I promise. She can’t have gone far.’

 

‘Okay Uncle Sam.’

 

‘And remember, no powers.’ Sam warned her.

 

‘Yes Uncle Sam.’ She sounded upset at that part. Garth spoke up again.

 

‘You want her to hide her powers? They’re amazing!’

 

‘Garth, we want her hidden,’ Sam began explaining.

 

‘I know, I know, and we’re doing that, but guys, she needs some kind of self-esteem hit. So if she wants to fill the spare room with the animals in storybooks to go to sleep, I don’t see what’s wrong with it. And she talks like an adult already, how did you do that? Junior grunts and points. Still.’

 

‘Her surrogate Mom was a big reader. Guess she was a good early influence,’ Dean’s voice sounded tight. ‘We’re hanging up now, okay?’

 

‘Okay. Say ‘bye, Daddy!’

 

‘’Bye Daddy, ‘bye Uncle Sam!’

 

Sam snapped the phone shut, and let Dean crank up his music to drown out the sounds of him crying. It didn’t need to be said that he missed his daughter. Sam just hoped he’d get his shit together before they hit Ohio and sought out the other hunters. A tearful Dean would lead to some really awkward questions.


	12. Chapter 12

Bear had been creeping around Garth’s home, peering in all the doorways, listening to conversations. She had heard Sam in the car, arguing with Dean about why Siobhan needed to be left with a bunch of werewolves. Bear already strongly suspected Sam of wanting to sabotage Siobhan, despite her reassurances, and she wanted to work out Sam’s real agenda.

 

But Bear hadn’t heard anything, not from Junior, or Bess, or Bess’ Pa … they all seemed genuinely sweet and welcoming. Bear wasn’t going to be fooled so easily. First chance she got, she was going to plan a way of protecting Siobhan from the monsters that her uncle had forced her to be with. It was for the best.

 

*

 

Dean and Sam finally pulled into an abandoned farm, where they could see Ted, Stan and Leroy poking around. They exchanged a brief look, and stepped out of the car together, immediately getting Leroy’s attention.

 

‘So, the Winchesters finally showed up!’ He sneered sarcastically. Sam looked over at Dean, who was glaring at Leroy.

 

’Show up? Dean, I told you they’d still be hanging around this dump.’

 

‘Maybe I was just hoping that other hunters would be a little smarter.’

 

Leroy sniggered rudely, as Ted and Stan flanked him.

 

‘Did a Winchester just imply he was smarter than us?’

 

Both Dean and Sam saw it at the same time. A quick flicker of Leroy’s eyes from their usual watery blue, to black and back again. Sam took the risk of muttering under his breath.

 

‘Cristo.’

 

Leroy shuddered, and his eyes turned black again. Dean looked at Stan and Ted quickly, but there was no change with them. Did they realise that their friend was possessed? Sam drew the demon blade from his pocket, as Dean reached into his inside pocket for his whiskey bottle, full of holy water.

 

‘You know,’ Sam said, almost conversationally. ‘We got pentagrams tattooed on, stops little issues like Leroy’s here.’

 

‘Where’s your little nephilim?’ Leroy snapped back. ‘Don’t give us the crap, we know she’s yours. And when we find her, I’m going to stick my angel blade in her chest and watch the life leave her eyes the way I did with her mother.’

 

Dean’s face went a mottled red colour, and Sam stepped forward, demon blade in hand.

 

‘Nice try Leroy. You’re not going to go anywhere, except straight back to hell.’

 

Dean reached into his waistband, and before Ted or Stan could react, he shot them quickly in the heart, as Sam ran forward, wielding the blade above his head, bringing his arm down and plunging it into Leroy’s heart, watching and grimacing as the demon was eradicated. Panting, he turned back to Dean, who was staring at Stan and Ted. Neither of them were going to discuss it, but both of them wanted to. Dean had acted too quickly, maybe. Maybe Ted and Stan were completely innocent. But Sam knew that, when it came to his daughter, Dean wasn’t going to take any chances.

 

*

 

Siobhan was slowly warming up to Garth, and Bess. Garth did puzzles with her for most of the afternoon, and slowly, he got her talking to him. She could almost pretend it was like when she and Uncle Sam were getting along. Garth made her giggle, with the stories he told her about his time with Sam and Dean. Her eyes light up every time Garth mentioned her father, he noticed, and it egged him on to tell her even more. Every time Dean had barked instructions or seemed cold, he twisted the story slightly, so her daddy was always the hero, and Garth was just the comic relief.

 

‘Dinner’s up!’ Bess called from the kitchen, and Siobhan turned to look almost through the door.

 

‘Garth?’ She sounded more confident than before.

 

‘What’s up sweetie?’

 

‘Am I going to have to eat werewolf food?’

 

He laughed.

 

‘No, no, Bess cooked you macaroni and cheese. Do you like that?’

 

‘I don’t know.’

 

Garth smiled fondly at her, patting her on the head, and holding his hands out to let her know he was willing to carry her. He knew she could fly, and she’d already used the bathroom once, insisting on walking there, so he knew she was perfectly capable of making her own way there. And she knew that Garth was going to keep offering to carry her, because he wanted her to trust him. She watched him for a moment, before scooting closer, letting him scoop her up.

 

He smelt funny. A little bit like Uncle Sam’s room. But he was warm and he didn’t squeeze tight. He carried her like it was nothing, and sat her into a seat in the dining room, where more werewolves had appeared. He strapped her into a booster seat, and took the chair beside hers, bowing his head like all the other werewolves, and listening as an older man said Grace.

 

Siobhan hadn’t said Grace before. Daddy and Uncle Sam didn’t do it, and Mommy never ate. So she thought nothing of tucking straight in to her dinner, which was pretty good. But after a couple of mouthfuls, she realised she was the only one eating, and everyone else was listening to the man who was praying about the food. She paused with her cheeks almost full to exploding when she saw the man watching her sternly. It was a frightening expression enough on the ageing man, but for Siobhan, who could see the mutated werewolf features all the time, it was downright terrifying. She dropped the plastic fork Garth had given her onto the plate with a clatter.

 

‘It’s okay,’ Garth whispered out of the corner of his mouth, and then raised his voice. ‘She’s just a baby, she must’ve been hungry.’

 

The scary man looked away, and carried on talking. Then they all spoke together, and started eating the yucky, squishy things on their plates. Siobhan took a moment, and a smile of encouragement from Bess, before she started eating again.

 

After dinner, Garth scooped Siobhan up and carried her up the stairs of the house. She didn’t complain, but cuddled in the same way she would do with Dean or Castiel. He pushed open the door to a room near the back, where she could look out and see a swing set and slide in the yard. He put her down gently, and she ran to the window, peering out as hard as she could. Garth realised what she was staring after pretty quickly.

 

‘You can play on that tomorrow, but right now, it’s bedtime, kiddo. Hey, is that your teddy bear?’

 

Siobhan’s head snapped around, and her eyes lit up.

 

‘BEAR!’ She ran over and scooped Bear up, hugging her close. Garth laughed, and started rifling through Siobhan’s bag, which Sam had left and Bess had brought up to the room earlier. He pulled out some purple Heffalump pyjamas, and held them out to Siobhan.

 

‘Okay kiddo, time for your PJ’s!’

 

She wrinkled her nose, but cooperated as Garth got her changed, looking away out of respect as much as he could. He took a moment to appreciate how difficult it must be for Dean to do - he was sure the angel wouldn’t think of changing her clothes - to try and help her get dressed every day without worrying about her modesty. Or maybe Dean just didn’t care, since he was her Daddy. Garth didn’t think twice about that sort of thing with Junior, after all. She scrambled into the bed and looked up at Garth expectantly, cuddling Bear tightly.

 

‘Garth? Mommy tells me stories. Can you tell me a story?’ She blinked slowly, already clearly tired.

 

‘Sure. What stories do you like?’

 

‘Ummm, the last one was about Noah and his ark.’

 

Garth shook his head in bemusement, but picked up a nearby copy of the bible anyway, and leafed through until he saw the story of Noah. And then he continued reading, glancing up every few minutes until Siobhan seemed to be asleep. He leaned over and kissed her forehead gently.

 

‘Sweet dreams, little one.’ He whispered, and left her alone to go tend to Junior. Siobhan’s eyes snapped open, and Bear turned to look at her as though she knew Siobhan had something on her mind.


	13. Chapter 13

Siobhan and Bear whispered together for a good hour in the darkened room. Bear was eager to tell Siobhan all about her suspicions about the werewolves, and Sam, and Siobhan was full of chatter about Garth.

 

‘You know what, Bear? Mostly, I just want my Mommy and Daddy back. I want a big cuddle from them.’

 

‘I know. I still don’t trust the werewolves.’

 

‘Oh, Bear! Garth is okay. And Garth loves Bess and Junior, so they wouldn’t hurt us.’

 

Bear just looked at Siobhan, and she sighed heavily.

 

‘We’ll wait until everyone’s asleep, okay? And then we’ll sneak out and sleep somewhere else. Somewhere safe.”

 

Bear didn’t look thrilled at the idea, and Siobhan carried on talking quickly.

 

‘Garth’s going to check on us, I know it. We wait until he’s done that, okay?’

 

Bear sighed, and Siobhan smiled smugly, knowing that she’d won the argument.

 

‘What if someone else comes in?’ Bear whispered.

 

‘Garth won’t let them,’ Siobhan sounded confident about that fact. She snuggled closer to Bear, twirling her hair around her finger. She stuck a thumb in her mouth, and they both listened as the adults in the house moved about. ‘I’m going to listen to Garth again.’

 

*

 

Dean and Sam were back on the road, Dean determined to drive through the night to get back to Garth’s place, and Siobhan, but Sam managed to talk him into staying in a nearby motel.

 

‘Come on, Dean. You’ll get tired and we’ll risk crashing. You’re going to be useless to her otherwise. Garth’ll take care of her. Let’s just grab a couple of hours, okay?’

 

Dean sighed, and pulled up at the first motel they came across. They moved silently on their way into the motel, and got ready for bed without talking. But once they were both in bed, lights off, Sam started talking.

 

‘Do you think they knew?’

 

Dean knew he meant Stan and Ted. He grunted, and rolled over.

 

‘Dean?’

 

‘It’s on me, Sam. I know that. I didn’t think before I acted.’’

 

I didn’t mean that.’ Sam reassured him. ‘I mean, we’re not going to get it right every time. I meant … I meant Cassandra.’ He waited for Dean to answer, but he was met with a wall of silence. He decided that, if Dean wasn’t going to be active in the conversation, he was going to dominate it. ‘Leroy shot her, from what he said and what Siobhan said. And Siobhan saw it. Don’t you wonder how she knew? How did Siobhan avoid him? How did he find out about her-‘

 

‘You’re not helping,’ Dean spat through gritted teeth.

 

‘Sorry.’ There was silence for a couple of moments. ‘So, what exactly went on with you and Cassandra and Cas-‘

 

’Shut up, Sammy.’ Dean muttered, punching his pillow and trying to get comfortable.

 

‘Come on, Dean. You gotta know I have a thousand questions about it.’

 

‘Only a thousand?’

 

‘You know what I mean. You’ve kept me in the dark for nearly four years now. Don’t I get to hear something?’

 

‘Dude, I made you watch porn when you were ten, you know how it works.’

 

‘That’s not what I meant. How did it even work?’

 

‘Well, Sammy, when a guy is lonely and a girl is lonely-‘

 

‘Fine, Dean. I just wanted to understand. I mean, think of it from Cassandra’s point of view-‘

 

‘Do you really think Cas and me didn’t think of her point of view? Do you really think it didn’t come up in discussions?’

 

‘I honestly have no idea, Dean. You won’t talk about it properly with me. Do me a solid and answer something.’

 

‘Fine. But I get to ignore you if it gets too chick-flicky.’

 

‘Okay. So, did Cassandra freak out about you and Cas? When Cas left her vessel, I mean.’

 

Dean was quiet for so long that Sam wondered if he was going to answer the question.

 

‘I wasn’t there,’ he said eventually. Sam knew Dean was only talking because the lights were off, and he could pretend like he was talking to himself. ‘But Cas was. I don’t even know how he got through it all, he’s not exactly a genius at expressing his emotions, or recognising others. I know they talked about it, once he made sure she was safe.’

 

‘And?’

 

‘And she didn’t freak out. Apparently, she was running away from her boyfriend when Cas possessed her. Guy was an abusive ass. He was gonna kill her, so when Cas came along he kinda saved her life.’

 

‘And that’s it?’

 

‘We’re getting into dangerous territory.’ Dean growled. Sam rolled his eyes in the darkness. He obviously wasn’t going to go further into it, and Sam couldn’t understand why.

 

‘She didn’t freak out when she found out she was pregnant?’

 

‘She did. Of course she did. Who the hell wants to find out they got pregnant when they weren’t in control of their body? But Siobhan was talking to her then, trying to calm her down, trying to let her know it wasn’t going to be that bad. Remember that?’

 

‘Yeah, I just … there are still bits I don’t get.’

 

‘Uh-huh. Night.’

 

Sam sighed. Clearly, Dean was holding back. Why? Sam had no idea.

 

*

 

Siobhan lay as still as she could, when she heard Garth sneak into her room to check on her. She knew it was Garth, she’d been in his head all night. She knew once he left her room, he would check on Junior, and then go to bed with Bess. She waited until the door closed, and then, grasping Bear tightly, she altered the room, making her world of lush green hills, the sparkling sea and the golden bay. Her unicorn was grazing nearby, but she knew Bear didn’t like riding the flying unicorn. Instead, Siobhan took a few steps and flew up into the clouds. She closed her eyes briefly as the world went whooshing away from her, embracing the wonderful feeling of flight. Flying was definitely one of her favourite things to do. She didn’t understand why Mommy didn’t fly any more than he did. But Mommy said humans didn’t like it. That’s why Siobhan was doing it in her world, instead of out of the window. Garth might have liked it, but Siobhan had no idea how anyone else would take her ability.

 

She opened her eyes, and located the cloud she wanted. It looked so soft and fluffy, and she could sleep under the warmth of the sun. She stepped lightly on the cloud, making a space for herself and Bear, and snuggled down happily.

 

‘We’ll be safe here, Bear.’ She promised. Bear didn’t answer. Siobhan assumed she was already asleep. She was just drifting off herself, when someone spoke, jolting her awake.

 

‘Well, well, well, little one. And just who made you?’

 

She didn’t recognise the accent. Her eyes shot open, and she looked up, her mouth gaping open.


	14. Chapter 14

Dean looked around the blank space he had found himself in. There didn’t seem to be any signs of walls or corners, just a blank, white nothing reaching for the ether. Like in cartoon shows, when the characters entered the void. Castiel was there, standing in his trench coat, looking quizzically at Dean. Dean secretly loved that expression on Castiel’s face, the way his head tilted, the curiosity blazing in his brilliantly blue eyes and his mouth ever so slightly quirked up in the corner. Dean strode over to him, but Castiel barely seemed to move, to register his approach.

 

‘Cas. CAS!’ Dean sounded panicked, his voice slightly breathless as he forced the words out. There must be something wrong, if Castiel wasn’t reacting.

 

‘Dean?’ A light, amused, female voice spoke behind him. He turned, and saw Cassandra, her long, dark blond curls framing her chubby face, her blue-green eyes sparkling with humour.

 

‘Cassandra?’ He choked out. She giggled, and he swallowed hard. ‘Hey. _Hey_. So what happened?’

 

‘Nice to see you too, Dean.’ She cocked her own head, and observed him as seriously as she could manage. ‘I messed up, that’s what happened. I met a guy, I thought he was into me, but I picked wrong. Again. I didn’t see it coming, otherwise I would have called Castiel. He would have come.’

 

The both looked at the static angel.

 

‘Was the guy Leroy?’ Dean asked, folding his arms, still looking at his angel.

 

‘Yeah. Already possessed. Siobhan was playing in her playhouse when he did it.’

 

‘How did he miss her?’ Dean sounded baffled. Cassandra sighed, taking Dean’s hand gently. Dean looked down, then back at Castiel, whose expression was now more one of concern, his eyebrows knitted together and his lips slightly parted. Whatever was going on in this world - Dean assumed it was some crazy dream - Castiel wasn’t able to function properly.

 

‘I don’t know the answer to that Dean. Maybe nephilim have a built in ability to hide from demons? Either way, I’m just glad she did.’

 

‘I’m sorry you didn’t.’

 

Cassandra smiled weakly, then leaned her head against Dean’s shoulder.

 

‘I am too. After everything Castiel did for me, and I died that way anyway. I guess you can’t ignore your fate, can you?’

 

Dean ‘hmmmm-ed’ in response. Cassandra turned her head, her chin resting on his arm, not quite reaching his shoulder.

 

‘Dean, you shouldn’t keep fighting it. Not with him. One of the reasons I trusted Castiel so much was because I could feel the way he felt about you, I could see what he means to you in your eyes. I was never scared. Just jealous, that he had someone who felt like that about him. I was happy for you both.’

 

‘No one’s that selfless,’ Dean responded, still watching Castiel.

 

‘You are. Why can’t I be?’ Cassandra drew away slightly, and Dean stepped closer to Castiel. ‘Dean?’

 

‘Yeah?’

 

‘Trust Sam with this sort of thing. He’s not going to sabotage you, or make you feel like less of a man because you fell in love.’

 

Dean snorted, and Cassandra let go of him entirely.

 

‘Your brother already knows. And he already feels isolated. So give him something to go on.’

 

She placed a hand on Castiel, who turned to look at her.

 

‘Maybe you can get through to him?’

 

Castiel gave her a small smile, as she faded from view. Dean watched Castiel as he turned to look at Dean, a slight hint of Cassandra’s humour in his eyes.

 

‘I don’t know why she thinks I’ll be able to convince you.’

 

Dean sighed, as the vision faded, and his eyes twitched before he fully came around. Sam was already awake, moving around the room, packing up and sipping coffee in brief pauses. Dean rubbed a hand over his face.

 

‘Morning,’ Sam sounded cautious, like he was worried that he’d overstepped the mark the night before.

 

‘Hey. Ready to roll?’

 

‘Yeah, whenever you are. Coffee?’ Sam offered him another cup, still steaming. Dean sat up and took the cup, downing it despite the heart of the liquid. Sam chucked a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a button down on Dean’s bed and picked up the local newspaper, scanning it so that he could give Dean some hint of privacy as he got changed. Dean slammed his coffee cup onto the bedside table, and grabbed his clothes, heading into the bathroom.

 

*

 

Siobhan looked up into the face of the man who stood in front of her. He was wearing jeans, chucks, a t-shirt and a blazer, and his face was contoured with bumps and wrinkles. Like a puppy  Siobhan’s old neighbours had. His greying blond hair stood up in a quiff. He almost seemed nice, if he didn’t scare her so much. How had he gotten there? He bent down to her level, and she scrabbled up into a sitting position, clutching Bear tightly and hoping that she would stay asleep. Bear wouldn’t like this man.

 

‘I know what you are, little one. And as adorable as you might be, there’s still a world of wrong in you. So the best way to avoid me driving my angel blade into you right now is to tell me the angel and the human who made you. Who is your father?’

 

Siobhan was terrified. What was wrong with her? Did this man not like her wings, like Mommy kept warning her about? He pulled a long, thin, silver blade from his blazer and held it casually in front of him. Siobhan squeezed Bear as tightly as she could, her mind blank.

 

‘Let’s try this again, shall we? My name is Balthazar. What’s yours?’

 

‘Sh-sh-sh-‘ was all she could manage. Balthazar lowered the angel blade, bowing his head.

 

‘Okay. Okay. We’ll make a deal. I won’t hurt you. Not now. But you don’t want to sleep on this cloud. Come with me and I’ll make sure you’re safe. For now.’

 

Siobhan gulped, and curled up into herself, her skinny little legs drawing up as she tucked her chin in. Balthazar sighed, his head dropping. He’d never met a nephilim before, but surely they were made of stronger stuff than this? The little girl was almost completely coddled. He reached down and scooped her up anyway, trying not to react as she let out an almighty, piercing scream.

 

‘Nononononononononononono!’ She wailed. ‘Mommy! MOMMY!’

 

*

 

Garth woke with a start. He was sure he’d heard a distant noise, something high-pitched and out of the ordinary. He looked over at Bess, who was sleeping soundly in the bed. He crept out and went to get a drink of water from the kitchen, drinking it slowly as he leaned against the sideboard. He shuffled sleepily back upstairs, and noticed an unusual breeze, coming from the room they’d temporarily given to Siobhan. The light was on, and bright, though Garth was positive that he’d turned it off. He slouched his way over, and opened the door, blinking in the daylight as he took the room in. Her imagination was strong, he guessed, or else she was projecting her dreams into reality. Or maybe it was something she did at home. Either way, Garth decided to leave well enough alone, that she’d probably return the room to its normal state in the morning. He turned back, and walked back through the door, shuffling along the hallway, and collapsing back into bed.


	15. Chapter 15

Sam and Dean finally pulled up at Garth’s house, cranky and exhausted from the long drive. Dean cut the engine of the Impala, and let out a deep breath before climbing out of the car. He’d barely stepped out of the car before Garth was opening the front door, pushing the screen door aside, and hurrying up to Dean, his face panic-stricken. Dean’s parental mode kicked in, and he knew deep in his gut that Garth was about to deliver some bad news.

 

‘Dean! Dean!’ Garth skidded to a halt in front of him, panting from exertion. Dean’s jaw tensed, and his face began to heat up. ‘I swear, I put her to bed, in an actual bed. And last night, I got up for a glass of water, and I checked on her, and her room was, it was,’ Garth shook his head, and Sam leaned against the Impala, watching the werewolf.

 

‘Did it look like rolling green hills, leading to the beach? Mountains in the distance? Little bit of a cartoon feel to it? Like a children’s fairy story?’ He asked. Dean turned to look at him silently, as Garth’s shoulders relaxed, at least a little.

 

‘Yes. I figured she was dreaming, projecting her abilities without knowing it. You’ve seen it before?’

 

‘Cas thinks it’s her idea of Heaven.’ Dean muttered, ‘Is it still there?’

 

‘Yes. I’ve gone in there a couple of times, looking for her, but I couldn’t see anything.’

 

‘Did you look up?’ Dean persisted. ‘She flies there.’

 

Garth shook his head slowly, and Dean stormed into the house, Sam and Garth following behind. Garth directed Dean as he pounded up the stairs, and they pushed into the room, which still had the image that Siobhan had conjured.

 

‘She must still be here. The picture hasn’t faded.’ Sam’s vein of hope was evident in his voice. Dean strode forward onto the hill, his eyes scanning the sky. And then he shouted.

 

‘SIOBHAN! SIOBHAN! IT’S ME! I’M BACK, WITH UNCLE SAM!’

 

They waited for a response, Dean’s eyes flickering over the horizon.

 

‘Dammit. Cas, if you can hear me, show the hell up right now,’ he muttered under his breath. Castiel appeared almost instantly, staring at Dean intently. ‘Can you fly up there? Find out where the hell Siobhan has gone?’

 

Castiel looked up momentarily, and then focused behind Dean.

 

‘If you go on Pony.’

 

Dean turned around, and saw the flying unicorn, grazing on the grass a few feet away.

 

‘Are you freaking kidding me?’

 

‘We’ll cover more ground that way. She might be scared of one of the werewolves.’

 

‘Hey-‘ Garth began arguing back, but stopped when he saw Castiel’s expression, tight lipped, eyes widened, his chin seeming to drop. Castiel was obviously concerned over the welfare of his child, and not thinking about whether or not he had just insulted Garth. Sam held his hands together, and Dean put his foot on them, hoisting himself up on the unicorn and making a mental note to chew his daughter out, first for making him worry, and second for making him ride a damn flying unicorn. The beast spread its wings, as Castiel spread his, and the rose together, Dean clinging to its neck.

 

‘Oh, man, I am never complaining about airplanes again,’ he muttered, clinging onto the unicorn for dear life. Nothing but his daughter’s safety would have even made him consider flying on a damn unicorn. Or flying, period. He managed to raise his head enough to start scanning the sky, looking for her tiny frame, and her huge wings. But he couldn’t see anything. All he could see was Castiel, a tiny speck in the distance, flying near the mountains. Dean did his best not to look down, to look level or higher, but he could barely manage to raise his head.

 

‘SIOBHAN! SIOBHAN! GODDAMMIT, WHERE ARE YOU?’

 

His stomach was rolling, cramping, and his head was beginning to spin, he was weaving slightly as the unicorn flew through the air. But he tried to swallow the nausea down, his eyes scanning as much as possible as they flew around the sky. Eventually, Cas flew back towards him, his expression troubled. Dean took one look at the angel, lost control of his uneasy stomach, and reached over to vomit, leaning away from the giant wings.

 

Castiel signalled to the unicorn, and the flew back to where Sam and Garth were still standing. Dean clung to the unicorn on the descent, and had to be lifted down by Castiel. He was far too ill still to complain, or act as though he were unaffected. Garth snorted a suppressed laugh, and Sam fought not to join in. The sight of Dean, queasy and weak and needing to rely on the angel was comical, but Sam knew that by flying back empty-handed, they hadn’t been able to locate Siobhan.

 

‘Where could she have gone?’ Sam wondered aloud. Castiel reached into the pocket of his trench coat, and pulled a single black feather out.

 

‘Another angel has been here. They’ve either taken her or-‘ Castiel’s eyes flickered to Dean, who was slumped on the grass, looking defeated. He didn’t finish his thought, but knelt beside Dean, extending a hand out and patting Dean’s knee awkwardly. ‘We will find her, Dean. I promise you. And I will personally avenge whoever took her.’

 

Dean retched again, hitting the grass beside him, and then sitting up shakily, not quite ready to stand.

 

‘Anyway you can work out who did it without alerting every other douchebag angel?’ he grunted. Castiel stared at him, but did not answer.

 

*

 

Siobhan didn’t know where Balthazar had taken her. She didn’t understand how he’d managed to enter her world, or make her leave it so easily. All she knew was, he talked a lot, and he had a funny voice. Bear had woken up when they were flashed out of their world, but had sensibly decided to stay still and quiet until they had figured this Balthazar guy out.

 

Balthazar kept asking questions. The same questions. What was her name, who were her parents, where did she come from, was she the child who had made the news by sprouting wings in preschool? And Siobhan was unable to answer any of them. She tried, she honestly tried, but she stuttered, and the words felt like they stuck in her throat, and every time she pictured her parents, her eyes filled with tears.

 

She kept thinking about the look on Daddy’s face when he picked her up, just after she got her wings. He was angry, and yelling at the lady, but when it was the two of them, he was gentler, kinder, and Siobhan knew she hadn’t made him mad. Or when her Mommy was making her dinner, looking pleased because he did everything Daddy would do. And Daddy’s face when he had some! But she didn’t want to say any of this to Balthazar, because she didn’t know who he was, and he had that scary knife. Scarier than any Daddy or Uncle Sam had.

 

Balthazar knelt down in front of her now, looking her over, like he was searching for something specific.

 

‘You are able to talk, aren’t you, little one?’ he finally asked. Siobhan snuggled into Bear. ‘Because I just want to talk to your mother and father, find out why they made you, what their plans are. Heaven demands it. You know about Heaven, don’t you?’

 

Siobhan nodded miserably. Mommy had told her all about Heaven, and how everyone was mad at each other, and no one seemed to care about the humans that God had left them in charge of. Except Mommy, and his friends.

 

‘Mommy came from Heaven,’ she said in a very small voice. Balthazar smiled, glad to have finally gotten something out of the tiny girl.

 

‘And what’s Mummy’s name?’

 

‘Mommy.’

 

Balthazar’s head dropped, and he sighed before raising his head, and attempting to push the boundaries. Surely she knew her parentage?

 

‘What’s your father’s name?’

 

‘Daddy.’

 

Balthazar observed her quietly, his chin jutting up in the air as he looked down at her. Maybe it was entirely possible that she had no idea of what their names were, but he wasn’t going to give up now that she had finally let him in slightly.

 

‘And what does Mummy call Daddy?’

 

‘Daddy.’

 

‘Every time?’

 

She scrunched up her face, and then nodded. They had slowly gotten into that pattern, rather than going by Daddy Dean and Daddy Cas. She preferred it, even if it made Uncle Sam roll his eyes.

 

‘And Daddy calls Mummy, Mummy?’ Balthazar clarified. Siobhan nodded, and Balthazar rubbed his chin, thinking.

 

‘What do other people call them?’

 

And Siobhan felt stuck. She didn’t want to give away their names, she didn’t trust Balthazar not to hurt them. Bear spoke up instead.

 

‘Uncle Sam calls Daddy a pain in the ass.’

 

Siobhan’s eyes grew round, and she shook her head at Bear as he glared at Balthazar. But Balthazar was ignoring the bear, laughing a little to himself.

 

‘Uncle Sam? Really?’

 

‘It’s not funny,’ Siobhan pouted, and Balthazar managed to keep a straight face.

 

‘Okay, it’s not. So you have an uncle you call Sam, and-‘ Balthazar’s face fell slowly, his jaw dropping as his eyes widened.

 

‘Your last name isn’t Winchester, is it?’

 

Siobhan shot a terrified glance at Bear, and that was enough for Balthazar.

 

‘Dean Winchester helped make a nephilim! What sorry angel slept with him?’ He stood up, walking away from Siobhan, muttering under his breath so that Siobhan couldn’t hear, and then he pulled a seat in front of Siobhan, sitting in it backwards and waiting. Siobhan didn’t have to wonder what they were waiting for, because seconds after he had settled, Castiel appeared, holding Sam and Dean, and Garth as well. She beamed at her parents, until she took in their expressions, and then she cowered behind Bear.

 

Balthazar flicked his hand up, and ensured no one he’d just summoned could move their feet.

 

‘Oh, I know, you all want to have a touching reunion, but I want answers first. You all know what she is, I take it?’

 

‘Leave her alone, she’s just a baby,’ Garth spoke up. Balthazar frowned at him.

 

‘And who are you?’ he sniffed the air. ‘A werewolf? Were you all in the middle of a hunt?’

 

‘Balthazar, you’re a good angel, and there’s been no bad blood between us,’ Castiel began, until Dean interrupted him.

 

‘He’s a pretty decent person, you dick. Let me go, or so help me you son of a bitch, I will gank you the next time I track you down. Let me go to my daughter.’

 

‘You do know how much trouble you’re going to get in, creating a nephilim?’ Balthazar ignored Dean’s threats to sound almost conversational. ‘You’re lucky I was the one to stumble across her, imagine if it was anyone else! I’m sure we can negotiate some kind of a deal?’

 

Dean’s shoulders heaved as he breathed heavily, his face a mottled red as he glared at Balthazar.

 

‘Sure, give me my daughter and I won’t kill you.’

 

Siobhan peeked out from behind Bear, at her tight-lipped father. She watched as Balthazar laughed again, pacing in front of her family, and she realised that, though they couldn’t move, she could. She darted forward, jumping up and scrambling up her father until she could wind her tiny arms around his neck, burrowing her face into his shoulder. He smelt like Daddy always did, a hint of leather and graveyard dirt, slightly sweaty, but mostly just Daddy. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, squeezing her until it was slightly painful, but bearable nonetheless.

 

‘I know what you’re thinking Balthazar, and she’s not going to grow up to be that way. I won’t let her. And if any human is going to raise a nephilim to be a decent-‘

 

‘Yes, I’m sure this is a very pretty speech you have planned Dean, good for you! But the fact remains that angels are not meant to have relations with humans! It’s a violation of angel kind. And you don’t seem to care that you’ve gone against nature. Against what my father himself decided. Are you really so arrogant that you think you’re better than God?’

 

Dean ignored him, to snuggle into his daughter, burying his face in her wispy brown hair. Castiel placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder, and looked steadily at Balthazar.

 

‘We’ve fought for the same side for a long time Balthazar. I consider you a friend, as well as an ally and a brother. But I will part ways with you if you persist in hunting her down.’

 

Balthazar gazed at him lazily, not seeing Sam reaching out and grabbing the discarded angel blade slowly.

 

‘Why does it matter so much to you, Cassie? I only called on you because I knew you’d bring the Winchesters. Surely she has nothing to do with you?’

 

Castiel continued to stare at Balthazar, a hint of irritation tracing the otherwise blank features on his face.

 

‘Oh, _oh_ I get it now. Cassie, how did you manage to give birth to this?’ Balthazar began to laugh. ‘You weren’t joking when you referred to your ‘special bond’ with Dean here, were you? So what happens, you body-swap every time he wants to pretend he’s not repressed? Or is he really into some kinky-‘

 

‘Shut your mouth, Balthazar.’ Dean growled.

 

‘Yeah, tiny kids in the room.’ Garth stuck in, despite his intrigue in Balthazar having the balls to ask the questions that had been plaguing him. Sam, who knew a little more about the situation that had existed with Cassandra, and had walked in on awkward moments between his brother and Castiel, was trying to fight laughter as he hid the angel blade behind his back, gripping it tightly.

 

‘I’ll take that as a positive answer for both. You really are dragging Castiel down with you, aren’t you Dean?’

 

Dean passed Siobhan to Garth, and reached a hand out, grabbing Balthazar’s shirt.

 

‘Listen to me, you son of a bitch, you’re going to unstick our feet, and Cas is going to take us home. You’re going to forget that Siobhan exists, and we’ll make sure she acts as human as possible. And if you ever come for her again, I’ll kill you.’

 

Balthazar sighed, and waved his hand in the air quickly, and everyone else staggered until they regained their balance. Dean grabbed Siobhan back from Garth, and they all held onto Castiel before he flashed out, and they found themselves back in Siobhan’s world. Dean cuddled her close again, Castiel stepping closer and wrapping his arms around them both too, as Sam and Garth muttered together, working out the next best plan of action.


	16. Chapter 16

Dean barely let go of Siobhan as they made her remove the image, and left Garth’s house. Garth kept apologising, and eventually shut up as Castiel placed a cautious hand on his shoulder.

 

‘We know it was outside of your control. You did your best.’

 

And then Dean slung an arm around Castiel’s shoulders, and pulled him away, towards the Impala. Sam hung back a moment with Garth as they watched Dean and Castiel fuss about with the carseat.

 

‘Does it ever get weird?’ Garth asked, barely turning his head. Sam ran his fingers through his hair.

 

‘You have no idea. Especially lately. I don’t know what’s going on with them, and I don’t think I want to ask. Dean wouldn’t answer, anyway.’

 

Garth nodded, cocking his head.

 

‘Guess having a kid kinda brought them together, huh?’

 

Sam puffed his cheeks out, before releasing his breath slowly.

 

‘You know they made that kid, right?’

 

‘You know what I mean.’ They watched as Dean stood up, looking around, and raising his chin up in a nod when he spotted Sam, a clear indication for Sam to move, they were ready to go. ‘See you around, Sam. And any time you need a break from them playing happy families …’

 

‘Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it. See you, Garth.’

 

Sam strode over to the Impala, climbing in the backseat beside Siobhan wordlessly, patting Bear’s head and nudging her cheek with his knuckles. She giggled, as Castiel slid into Sam’s usual spot, and Dean climbed into the driver’s seat, looking in the rear view mirror at the toddler.

 

‘When we get home, we’re having a big talk about your powers, missy.’

 

Siobhan stopped giggling, and nodded seriously. Dean whacked the radio on as he peeled away from Garth’s house, and began steering one-handed. Sam had the feeling that his other hand had snaked across the seat, holding Castiel’s, and he turned his attention to his niece instead. She looked right back at him, and Sam felt unnerved again by her mis-matched eyes. It was like looking at two people, the two currently acting like teenagers and holding hands in the front seat.

 

‘Hey, Siobhan, you wanna play a game?’ Sam asked gently. She nodded, giving him a small smile. ‘Okay, here’s the game. I pick a colour, and we try and see another car in that colour, okay?’

 

Siobhan nodded, and stared out of the window, Sam leaning over so he could see them too.

 

‘Let’s look for a green car, okay?’

 

She nodded again, leaning against the carseat. Sam slid his arm around the top of the car seat, and rested his cheek next to hers. She reached up and patted his other cheek with her chubby hand, which he caught and blew raspberries into. She giggled, squirming, and then sat bolt upright.

 

‘Green!’

 

‘Good job, kiddo! Should we look for a black car next?’

 

‘Like Daddy’s?’

 

‘Like Daddy’s.’ Sam agreed. She relaxed in her chair, and held her hand out in front of Sam’s face, clearly wanting him to carry on the game he started. Sam smiled, and obliged her. Maybe his niece was pretty adorable, after all.

 

*

 

Dean had been driving for a couple of hours, and night was falling. He peeked in the rearview mirror at Sam and Siobhan, who were sprawled along the backseat, fast asleep. He laughed to himself as he turned the radio off, and Castiel squeezed his hand gently.

 

‘Everything okay, Dean?’

 

‘Yeah, fine. Just, you know, Sam and Siobhan.’

 

Castiel twisted in his seat, and saw what Dean meant.

 

‘They both look very peaceful,’ Castiel turned in his seat again, looking at Dean now. ‘I know you wish to discuss with Siobhan the full impact of her powers, but I think before you do, we should decide together what we want for her.’

 

‘Haven’t we already done that? With Cassandra?’

 

‘Yes, but we decided that when we knew Cassandra was watching over her. And Dean, nothing has worked so far, not the day care, not having Garth babysitting. Even taking turns watching her, it’s inhibiting our progress, you with hunting, me with my brothers.’

 

‘Are you complaining about her?’ Dean withdrew his hand from Castiel’s grasp.

 

‘Of course not, Dean. I’m saying that you’re trying to make decisions without planning, or consulting me. I care about her as well. She’s my daughter too.’

 

‘I know that, Cas, I just …’ he sighed, and caught Castiel’s hand in his own again, winding his fingers through the angels. ‘God, parenting is hard.’

 

‘I think you’re doing a good job, Dean. And it’s not like you haven’t done it before.’

 

They both looked backwards at Sam, Castiel turning in his seat, Dean peering in the rearview mirror.

 

‘Your brother turned out fine,’ Castiel pointed out, as Dean refocused on the road.

 

‘Yeah, totally fine, he could handle a gun when he was nine and got hooked on demon blood, had stupid premonitions and at one point, lost his soul. I did a great job helping to raise him.’

 

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, Dean,’ Castiel squeezed his fingers again. ‘Yes, he made mistakes, and at one point he was a complete abomination, but you were always there to pick him up and help him when he needed it. And he’s not too terrible now.’

 

Dean managed a small chuckle at that.

 

‘Okay, so what do you want to do? We’ve got to keep an eye on her all the time.’

 

‘Maybe it won’t be that difficult. We just need to get her to understand that, although she can limit her creations in the real world, she needs to border it inside as well. I think she can manage it. She needs her freedom.’

 

Dean sighed. He had a feeling that this was going to be their argument for her entire lifetime. He didn’t feel like explaining to the angel that their daughter was just two years old, and in a human lifetime, that meant something. But then he would have to explain the concept of youth and development to a being that had just appeared into existence, millennia before Dean was ever considered. He wasn’t sure he could even manage that.

 

‘Taking it a day each has been the best solution so far, we should stick to that. I know you want it planned out, and we’ll give her a routine as much as we can, but it might be easier to just go with it, you know?’

 

‘Whatever you think is best, Dean,’ Castiel said quietly. Dean squeezed his fingers this time. ‘Will it be much longer before we get to the bunker?’

 

‘Couple hours. You got some angel stuff going on?’

 

‘Nothing that can’t wait. I’m enjoying being in the car with you.’

 

Dean took his eyes off the road to look at the angel, who was smiling innocently at him. He looked back at the road, shifting slightly in his seat.

 

‘Yeah, well, don’t take off the second we get there, either.’

 

Castiel’s smile grew, as Dean reached over and turned the radio on again, fingers still laced together with Castiel’s. Dean wondered if Castiel realised what he really meant by that. That he didn’t want Castiel to go away, he wanted them together, safe from the rest of the world. He’d cut the conversation short and put the radio on as well, because he didn’t think he could last two more hours in a confined space with the angel being his typically adorable self. And then he spent the entire car ride berating himself for sounding like a total woman.


	17. Chapter 17

Sam woke slowly as Dean killed the engine, blinking as he realised they were in the garage in the bunker. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his fingers, and blinked as Dean gently lifted Siobhan from her car seat.

 

‘Did I sleep the whole time?’ Sam’s voice was thick with sleep.

 

‘Pretty much. You both did. Luckily, Cas doesn’t sleep.’

 

Sam didn’t want to ask what Dean was referring to by that statement. He was pretty sure he could work it out, and then Dean would turn it around and make out like Sam was the total woman. So instead, he climbed out of the Impala as Dean carried the tiny girl through to his room.

 

‘Night, Sam!’ Dean called as he stepped inside, kicking the door closed softly behind him. Sam sighed, and headed to his own room, turning on his television and watching a re-run of Star Trek.

 

In Dean’s room, he laid the little nephilim girl on the bed, and pulled his jeans off, climbing in beside her, wrapping his arm around her tightly, and pulling her close. Castiel perched on the edge of the bed on the opposite side, stroking her hair gently and watching as Dean nuzzled into her cheek.

 

‘Cas?’ Dean whispered, afraid of waking up their sleeping child.

 

‘Yes, Dean?’

 

‘You should get in, spend the night with us. Like a real family.’

 

Castiel didn’t react straight away. He watched Dean for a few moments, before leaning across and kissing Siobhan on her forehead. Dean lifted his arm off of their daughter, and held Castiel’s chin gently, reaching up and kissing him tenderly.

 

‘Dean …’ Castiel sounded breathless.

 

‘Look, nothing’s going to happen, not with her here. But we almost lost her, and I just, I don’t … just stay.’

 

Castiel nodded, and began peeling the blankets back. Dean chuckled quietly.

 

‘Dude, lose the coat and shoes, at least.’

 

Castiel grinned sheepishly, and bent down to undo his laces, as Dean cuddled close to Siobhan again, who was making snuffling noises in her sleep. He watched as Castiel pulled off his shoes and socks, peeled off the trenchcoat, and shrugged out of the ill-fitting suit he normally wore, until he was just in his underwear. Here, away from Sam’s snarky comments and Siobhan’s enthusiasm for her parents, Dean could admit, just a little bit to himself, that even in this vessel, Castiel did things to him. He watched Castiel wriggle under the covers, and gingerly wind his own arm around their daughter, pressing his face in her hair and taking a breath in.

 

‘Nearly losing her really makes you appreciate her, doesn’t it?’ Castiel smiled innocently.

 

‘Yeah. Makes me appreciate you and Sam too.’ Dean closed his eyes, his fingers reaching out past Siobhan to graze Castiel’s chin lightly.

 

‘Dean? What are we?’ Castiel barely managed to whisper. Dean opened his eyes and raised his head slowly, looking steadily at the angel.

 

‘Well, Cas, you’re an angel, and I’m a human.’

 

‘That’s not what I meant, Dean.’

 

‘I know, I just … I mean, why do we have to label it? Isn’t it enough to, you know …’ Dean struggled hard to try and answer Castiel as sensibly as he could, knowing the angel was putting real weight behind Dean’s words.

 

‘Siobhan has a solid belief in us being in love,’ Castiel informed him. Dean shrugged.

 

‘She’s a kid. No kid wants to think of their parents not being together.’

 

Castiel sighed, and rolled away slightly, out of Dean’s grasp.

 

‘You know what I mean, Dean.’ He paused, and made himself go through with asking a question that had been on his mind for a while. ‘Dean, would you consider … can we go on a date?’

 

Dean laughed, as quietly as he could so he didn’t wake Siobhan up.

 

‘I didn’t think it was an amusing request,’ Castiel said drily.

 

‘No, it’s just,’ Dean forced himself to stop laughing, afraid of insulting Castiel. ‘We’re a little backwards, huh? Most people date before they have the kid.’

 

‘Is that a no?’

 

Dean considered the request.

 

‘So, if I said yes, what would you have in mind?’

 

‘I don’t know. What do humans do on dates? The whole thing seems complicated to me. And you remember the last time I thought I was on a date?’

 

Dean grimaced at the memory of helping Castiel prepare for what he thought was going to be a date with a woman he’d been working with, only to find out she was expecting him to babysit.

 

‘I remember. I promise you, Cas, if I agree to a date, it’s definitely going to be you and me.’

 

His eyes began to close again, sleep calling to him, but Castiel wasn’t finished yet.

 

‘I wish you would agree to a date, Dean. Just one.’

 

‘Sure,’ Dean muttered, reaching out for Castiel again. ‘We’ll get Sam to babysit, and I’ll take you out tomorrow.’

 

Castiel scooted closer, letting Dean’s palm rest against his neck, Dean’s thumb stroking lazily across Castiel’s jawline as he drifted off to sleep. Castiel watched, a smile spreading across his face as it sank in that Dean had agreed, and with less negotiation than Castiel had expected. He carefully leaned over Siobhan, and pressed a gentle kiss to Dean’s mouth. 

 

*

 

In the morning, Dean woke up to an empty bed. He rolled out, looking around for Castiel and Siobhan. He’d been sure he’d gone to bed with the both of them. He padded through the bunker slowly, still in just his pants and shirt, and found them in the kitchen with Sam. Siobhan had a bowl of Rice Crispies in front of her, and Sam was chewing on muesli. Castiel was nowhere to be seen.

 

‘Hey, where’s Cas?’ Dean asked. Sam looked up from his breakfast, chewing quickly and swallowing.

 

‘He’s in the bathroom, shaving. He said something about you taking him out on a date?’ Sam was fighting a smile. Dean grunted, and headed over to a cupboard, opening it up and pulling out some bread, which he then put into the toaster. He was still facing the toaster when he spoke again.

 

‘Yeah, he wanted it so, I mean, I know it’s really soon after what happened with Siobhan, but would you watch her tonight? You do a great job with her.’

 

Sam knew he was feigning the casual attitude, but he let it slide.

 

‘Sure. We can watch a couple of Disney movies, eat some popcorn. How ‘bout, it, kiddo?’

 

‘Okay!’ Siobhan beamed at her uncle. Dean’s toast popped up, and he slathered it in butter before sitting next to Sam.

 

‘Siobhan, has Mommy talked to you about your powers yet?’

 

She nodded, scooping up a spoonful of Rice Crispies, using her hand to put them on the spoon properly.

 

‘Mommy said you were going to say not to use them.’

 

She shoved the loaded spoon in her mouth.

 

‘No, we just have to be careful. Mommy’s going to teach you how to do it, alright?’

 

She nodded again, her chubby cheeks bulging as she chewed. She swallowed hard, and brought the conversation back around to the subject Dean was hoping to avoid.

 

‘Daddy, what’s a date?’

 

Sam sniggered beside Dean, and Dean shoved him, hard, slopping Sam’s muesli all over his pants. Sam started mopping himself up as Dean spoke to his daughter.

 

‘A date is when you go outside somewhere with a person you really like, and you do something you both find fun.’

 

’So, you’re taking Cas to tune the Impala and then go for a beer?’ Sam asked innocently.

 

‘You got a better explanation for a little kid?’

 

‘Seriously, what are you going to do?’ Sam placed his bowl on the table. ‘How do you date an angel?’

 

‘Can you just shut up?’ Dean growled. He turned his attention back to Siobhan. ‘What do you want to do today, Princess?’

 

‘Play with Bear.’ She decided. He shrugged.

 

‘If that’s what you wanna do. Where’s Bear right now?’

 

‘Playing with Rabbit. Can I go?’

 

‘Finish your breakfast.’ Dean gave her a stern look, and she ducked her head down, scooping up more cereal. Dean looked at Sam, who blinked back at him as innocently as possible. ‘What are you going to do today?’

 

‘I don’t know, maybe some more research. Maybe just go out and have some time to myself. We probably need more groceries.’

 

Dean nodded, without making comment. Siobhan’s spoon clattered onto the table top, and she grabbed her plastic bowl, lifting it up and gulping the last dregs of milk down. Dean stood up and removed Siobhan from her booster seat, carrying her through to her room and leaving Sam in the kitchen alone. Sam finished his muesli slowly, embracing the sudden quiet, and Castiel appeared as Sam was pulling off his milk-soaked shirt.

 

‘Hello, Sam.’

 

‘Hey Cas, everything okay?’

 

‘Yes. I was wondering if you would help me? I’m not entirely sure how to prepare for this date with Dean tonight. I’m not entirely sure what he’s expecting.’

 

‘Me either. I was going to go out, you wanna come along? Maybe we could pick up an outfit?’

 

‘Why would we do that?’ Castiel pondered. Sam smiled.

 

‘Because you always wear that suit. You wanna look special, right?’

 

Castiel looked confused, and Sam shook his head in exasperation.

 

‘It’s a human thing, Cas. You used to change your clothes when you were a human, right?’

 

‘I seem to remember Dean adjusting my outfit the last time I believed I had a date.’

 

‘There you go.’ Sam gestured, and balled his shirt up. ‘Let me just grab some stuff, and we can go. Dean’s with Siobhan, I don’t think he’s going to let her out of his sight until your date.’

 

‘Maybe I should stay here, with them,’ Castiel looked behind him, in the direction of Siobhan’s room.

 

‘They’ll be fine. Come on, my brother won’t know what hit him.’


	18. Chapter 18

Dean had spent the entire day with Siobhan, watching his daughter play with her dollies and toys, joining in where he could. He would never admit to it, but he’d really enjoyed it when she’d shrunk them both down to Barbie size, and they’d gone exploring in the dolls house Cassandra had spoiled her with. Siobhan seemed happy to just play with him, and to limit her powers to the game. She turned them normal-size again at Dean’s request, and then insisted on “beautifying” him ready for his date with Castiel.

 

‘What are you and Mommy going to do?’ Siobhan asked as she ran her brush over Dean’s head. The bristles scratched, but he knew he couldn’t complain, not without making it worse for himself the next morning when it came to brushing her hair.

 

‘I don’t know, what do you think Mommy would like?’ Dean asked as a pudgy little hand swung dangerously close to his eye.

 

‘Um … Mommy likes bumblebees and burgers and you and me.’

 

Dean laughed, grabbing her tiny hands and tugging gently so that her arms were around his neck.

 

‘Sorry kiddo, it’s a date. You’re staying with Uncle Sammy.’

 

‘Don’t you want me there?’ She pouted at him, which he saw in the mirror in front of them.

 

‘I want you there always. But right now, Mommy and Daddy need a little time together.’

 

‘Are you and my Mommy married?’

 

Dean laughed, trying to hold back in case it hurt her feelings.

 

‘You know way too much about the world. No, we’re not. But that doesn’t stop us from being freaking awesome parents, does it?’

 

‘No, you’re the best Daddy ever.’

 

Dean twisted around and pulled her close, hugging her tightly and nuzzling into her hair. She giggled, and gave him a slightly slobbery kiss on his cheek.

 

‘And you’re the best daughter ever. You need to stop worrying about me and Mommy, okay?’

 

‘But you’re my Mommy and my Daddy.’

 

He laughed again, holding her even tighter.

 

‘We sure are, Princess.’

 

Sam walked into the bedroom at that point, leaning in the doorway, his hands in his pockets.

 

‘Hey, want me to watch her so you can get ready?’

 

‘Is that necessary?’ Dean asked as he let go of Siobhan. Sam shrugged.

 

‘He dragged me around half the mall today, looking for an outfit. He’s really excited about this, you know. So make the effort.’

 

Dean sighed, and ruffled Siobhan’s hair fondly.

 

‘Looks like you’re stuck with Uncle Sam. Enjoy the movies.’ He stood up and approached Sam, slugging him on the arm. ‘Don’t let her stay up too late.’

 

‘I know. Enjoy your date.’

 

Dean left the room, and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. He didn’t know where Castiel was in the bunker, but when he walked out of the bathroom in just a towel, Castiel was nowhere to be seen. Dean hurried into his room, and shut the door softly before pulling open his dresser, grabbing some pants and slipping them on, then scouring through his closet for one of his date shirts, all the while trying to figure out just what he and Castiel could do on their date. He’d avoided the topic with Siobhan earlier, because the truth was, he just didn’t know what an angel would expect from a date. Especially not his angel.

 

He was beginning to freak out, to question what he’d done. Why did he agree to a date? Wasn’t this just making it more difficult for them? It felt a little … domestic. Dean didn’t do domestic. He rummaged in his underwear drawer again, and pulled out a bottle of bourbon, already half-empty. He unscrewed the cap and gulped some down, putting it back on top of the dresser and going back to the closet, picking out a shirt he hardly ever wore, slipping it on and doing it up and hitting the bottle again.

 

When the bottle was empty, he left the room, still wracking his brain for what he and Castiel could even do. He wasn’t the type for fine dining, and everything else just felt so also-ran, or things they’d done a thousand times before. Dinner and a movie? So passé. A drink in a bar and playing pool? Yeah, if he and Castiel wanted to get jumped by rowdy locals who’d be really homophobic. Trying to explain that Castiel was an angel would just get messy. A drive in the Impala, stopping in a field to talk and watch the world go by? It just didn’t feel special enough, and Sam had definitely driven home the point that Castiel wanted this to be special.

 

The pressure was getting to him. He just wanted to call it off, stop it being a date, take Castiel out to the nearest garage where they could pick up a few six packs and find somewhere to just talk. Something easy. But that wasn’t what Castiel was expecting. Dean could feel himself start to sweat as the anxiety began to build. And then he bumped into Castiel, out in the hallway near the television room. Dean’s eyes swept over his whole body, unable to believe that Castiel was out of the suit. Sam hadn’t lied, had he. Castiel’s eyes lit up, as he took in Dean’s outfit.

 

‘You look good, Dean.’

 

‘Thanks, uh, so do you.’

 

‘We match,’ Castiel pointed out happily. Dean shrugged, but he could sort-of see it. His white shirt with cream and gold threads did work with Castiel’s cream linen shirt. They were both in jeans. Castiel, who had been clasping his hands behind him, reached one out, holding a single rose. ‘I got this for you. I remembered that it’s customary to give your date a small token.’

 

Dean felt heat rising in his face.

 

‘Well, thanks, Cas. I didn’t get you anything.’

 

Castiel smiled happily.

 

‘You did. You gave me a yes.’

 

Dean’s face got even warmer.

 

‘Okay, um, we should leave it here and get going. I’ll put it in my room.’

 

‘I’ll do it, one moment.’ And Castiel flashed away, before flashing back in. ‘Dean, have you been drinking?’

 

‘Dutch courage, you know?’ Dean waved away Castiel’s concern. But Castiel was not to be fooled.

 

‘Maybe you shouldn’t drive the car tonight, in case it’s a problem. I’ll zap us somewhere. What did you have planned?’

 

Dean held up his hands in protest.

 

‘Come on, Cas, I’ve driven before after a little alcohol. No biggie. And I really don’t want to be zapped anywhere, I’m still backed up from being zapped to get Siobhan.’

 

‘Then it should make no difference,’ Castiel decided happily, and he grabbed at Dean’s hand, flashing out of the bunker before Dean could protest. The next thing Dean knew, they were standing under an old, crumbling archway under the brilliant sun.

 

‘Cas? Where are we?’ Dean held a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. Castiel beamed happily.

 

‘Rome. In the Coliseum, to be precise. I know you dislike flying, but I think you should see what the world has to offer. I’ve brought us back in time slightly, to allow for the time difference. You didn’t seem to have a plan. You’ll enjoy the food.’

 

‘Cas, I don’t have Italy money, I’ve only got dollars. And not many of those.’

 

‘I have it covered. I guess I’m taking you on this date.’

 

Dean sighed, and followed Castiel as he walked through another archway, following a bunch of tourists as they climbed an old brick staircase. Dean’s foot slipped on a broken brick, and Castiel grabbed his hand to catch him, stopping him from falling. They made it to the upper level, and walked to the edge of the rampart, looking down. Whatever Dean had assumed was in the centre of the Coliseum, it wasn’t what they found. He guessed he’d expected grass, littered with a few relics. Instead, the ground seemed riddled with columns and narrow passageways, going down passed where his eye line could fathom. Castiel, who hadn’t let go of his hand, was telling him all about the Romans who used to battle there, the gladiators and the animals, the use of slaves in the arena. Dean stopped paying attention to the words, and started focusing instead on Castiel’s low, rough voice, on the way that the angel seemed to be excited by the history of the place.

 

No one seemed to bat an eyelid over the two of them being together. Dean scanned the rest of the crowds, and saw families, tour groups, old people, young people, fashionable, punk, goth, gay, straight … it was like anything went. It definitely beat taking a pounding in a bar when he couldn’t resist showing Cas how to sink a pool ball. Halfway through Castiel’s explanation of the marble seating being recycled in the Vatican, Dean leaned over and kissed him, his lips barely catching Castiel’s. Castiel stopped talking straight away, his mouth catching onto Dean’s, and he used the hands they were still clasping together to pull Dean closer. Dean seemed to know what he was thinking, and wrapped his arms around Castiel’s waist, anticipating catcalls or someone acting offended by the impromptu display of affection. None came. Dean pulled away slowly, looking around as Castiel smiled up at him. No one was even _looking_. Maybe Castiel’s idea of zapping over to Rome was inspired.

 

Dean looked back at Castiel, and then kissed him again, pushing his up against the brick rampart and steadying himself against the brickwork with one hand. Castiel laughed into his mouth.

 

‘Dean,’ he whispered as soon as he freed his mouth. ‘The Italians are liberal, but even they draw the line somewhere. No sex on national monuments.’

 

Dean withdrew immediately, feeling the heat spreading up his neck and onto his cheeks again.

 

‘I wasn’t going to have sex with you,’ he muttered. Castiel smiled, cupping Dean’s face and stroking his cheek with a thumb.

 

‘Sure, Dean. Did you want to see anywhere else in Italy?’

 

‘Where else would you want to show me?’ Dean challenged back. Castiel smiled.

 

‘Here?’

 

Dean looked around, as suddenly they were in a huge space, surrounded with marble columns that led in a semi-circle towards a huge, iconic building.

 

‘The Vatican. We should go to the Cistene chapel, it’s very beautiful. A wonderful example of how humans can truly celebrate my father.’

 

Dean felt skeptical - he was never particularly religious - but it seemed to be something Castiel really wanted to do. They joined the crowds queuing up to enter the building, and Castiel dropped his voice.

 

‘Dean, this is sacred ground. We can’t, we shouldn’t-‘

 

‘I get it. It’s cool, I know what this place means to you. Holy crap, are they real nuns? And them?’ Dean pointed to a group of women in pink habits, and then another group in taupe habits.

 

‘Yes. Dean, don’t point.’ Castiel seemed nervous, and Dean understood why. They’d had a child together, a nephilim, and if Balthazar’s anger was anything to go by, it was a huge sin to do so. Dean half-suspected that they were going to burst into flames just crossing the threshold. But they went through effortlessly, Castiel craning his neck as they moved through to look at all the artwork.

 

‘Is that how humans see Gabriel? Lucifer doesn’t look like that. Where am I in all these tapestries?’ Castiel kept muttering his thoughts as they allowed the crowd to sweep them through the opulent rooms with their gold crested coving and marbled floors, the walls adorned with paintings and tapestries and sculptured columns. Dean felt uncomfortable striding along, keeping pace with Castiel. ‘Jesus never looked like that. He was Aramaic. He lived around Jerusalem. He was olive-toned at best-‘

 

‘You sound like quite the skeptic.’ A Vatican worker spoke up, over-hearing Castiel’s mumble. Castiel sized up the elderly man who had interrupted.

 

‘Angels are not skeptics. I love my father deeply, wherever he is.’

 

‘Excuse him,’ Dean smiled briefly at the Vatican worker, and hustled Castiel along. ‘Dude, people are going to think you’re making jokes, being an angel in here! They’re going to think you’d wanna kill the Pope or something!’

 

‘I like this Pope. He has admirable qualities.’

 

Dean sighed, trying not to be annoyed by the way this date was going. They followed the crowds up a flight of narrow stairs, and along another corridor, until they entered a room covered from head to ceiling with paintings, half of the room separated by wooden partitions. More workers were in here, confiscating cameras and reminding people every so often that it was a sacred room, and they needed to be quiet for those who wished to pray. Castiel stuck close to Dean, and stroked his wrist to let him know he wished to step aside and pray. Dean stopped, and stood beside him, clasping his hands and peeking out of one eye as Castiel bowed his head and looked at his hands. This was definitely the most memorable date Dean had been on.

 

He looked up as Castiel prayed, and found himself staring up at the detailed ceiling, the paintings that sat like patchwork, bordered by images of cherubs that seemed to lift right out of the ceiling. He wasn’t much of an art critic, but he could see why the place had such appeal for Castiel. The biblical depictions almost seemed alive.

 

‘Dean? I’m ready to go if you are.’ Castiel said softly. Dean looked back down at the angel, and smiled softly.

 

‘Sure. I could go eat, you know?’

 

Castiel’s smile grew wider, and he led the way through the crowds until they found a small nook, out of the view of the other tourists, and Castiel zapped them out again, into a quiet street.

 

‘Are we still in Rome?’ Dean asked, looking around at the cobblestones and high brick walls, and the bank of vespas nearby.

 

‘Naples. They created pizza here. Was there anywhere else in Rome you wanted to go?’

 

‘Uh,’ Dean rubbed his neck a little. ‘I wouldn’t have minded that fountain thing. I heard that was pretty good. You know?’

 

‘We can go there. It’s not far from the Pantheon. But you said you wanted food, so,’

 

‘So, let’s go.’ Dean smiled, catching Castiel’s hand with his own, and following the angel as he walked down the uneven pathway. Castiel began talking again as they walked, pointing to a mountain slightly to their left and talking about witnessing the eruption of Vesuvius and the consequences in Pompeii. Dean laughed to himself as Castiel assured him it was all a plan constructed by demons. They fell quiet as they entered the pizzeria Castiel had in mind, and much to Dean’s relief, the maitre d’ who greeted them spoke good English. Hell, Dean was ready to admit that the maitre d’ spoke it better than he did.

 

They sat at a table for two, and Dean pulled the menu towards him as Castiel admired the flower stuck in a small vase on their table.

 

‘Are you eating?’ Dean asked the menu.

 

‘No. We’ll make some pretence to sharing whichever meal you pick.’

 

Dean nodded, and nudged Castiel’s foot with his own. Castiel moved his foot away, and Dean’s followed.

 

‘Have I upset you, Dean?’ Castiel whispered across the table. ‘You keep trying to kick me.’

 

Dean smiled, looking up at Castiel finally.

 

‘No, Cas, I was … never mind.’ The waitress appeared then, ready for them to order. Dean spoke quickly, getting his pizza and a couple of beers ordered, and as the waitress left, he reached across the table, stroking Castiel’s fingers. ‘Thanks, by the way.’

 

‘For what?’ Castiel watched the way Dean’s fingers threaded through his, enjoying the sensation of the tender touch.

 

‘For bringing me to Rome. I was sweating it over going to a bar or a ball game, but this is,’ he paused, trying to work out how to express the sentiment properly.

 

‘Well, we don’t have to stop here. I can manipulate time until we’re done on this date, and we can get back home five hours after we left. That would be an appropriate time limit, correct?’

 

Dean smirked and nodded as the two beers he had ordered were brought to the table. He passed one over to Castiel, and grabbed the other, tapping the necks together.

 

‘To the most awesome date ever?’

 

Castiel beamed as he tapped the bottle necks together again.

 

‘Yes. The most awesome date ever.’

 

*

 

They finished the pizza and beer quickly, Dean unable to resist wolfing down his food, and zapped back over to the Pantheon, which Castiel insisted they at least went into. Dean felt awkward as Castiel stood in the middle of the huge domed room, staring around, but thankfully their time there was limited. They walked through the narrow streets hand-in-hand until they reached the massive Trevi fountain, which was crowded with tourists and locals. Dean led the way down the uneven steps until they were by the edge of the fountain, and when they got there, he stood behind Castiel, his arms around Castiel’s waist. Castiel’s hands grazed along his forearms as Dean rested his head against Castiel’s neck.

 

‘You know, they say if you throw a coin in the fountain, you’ll find your true love. And anyone who comes here will return at some point in their lifetimes. It’s all superstitious nonsense of course.’ Castiel sounded flippant, and Dean snorted softly.

 

‘Well, I don’t think we need to throw a coin in there.’ And he kissed Castiel’s neck softly, squeezing his arms across Castiel’s waist. Castiel turned his head to catch Dean’s eye, but Dean was watching the fountain. ‘I don’t think you could top this.’

 

‘The date is young, Dean,’ Castiel reminded him softly.

 

‘So, where next?’


	19. Chapter 19

‘It’s smaller than I thought it would be,’ Dean announced from the small pod they’d popped into. It was all glass, and contained another twenty people, all clinging to the handrails and staring out over the skyline as they moved upwards on the giant ferris wheel.

 

‘London, or the Eye?’ Castiel asked curiously.

 

‘Big Ben,’ Dean pointed down at the brown building below them, with a clock tower emerging on one side.

 

‘Hmmm. Apparently Big Ben is the bell, rather than the entire building. Though it is still beautiful. I like London, you can see centuries of progress in one view. It’s like seeing the pyramids in Giza.’

 

‘Well, it’s definitely not America.’ Dean mused. ‘And it’s so frigging cold here!’

 

He wrapped his arms around his midsection, squaring his shoulders up to get warm. Castiel wrapped his own arms around Dean, standing close so that Dean could share body heat.

 

‘We won’t stay in England long, if it makes it easier for you. Although, I do enjoy seeing the Queen while I’m here. She has such humorous comments to make on human activities.’

 

‘You know the Queen?’ Dean smirked, wriggling his arms loose and wrapping them around Castiel, grazing the top of his ass.

 

‘She’s never seen me. I go invisible.’ Castiel leaned closer, his mouth grazing Dean’s ear. ‘If you wanted to go see her, I could make you invisible too?’

 

‘You made that sound kinda dirty,’ Dean whispered back, nibbling on Castiel’s earlobe.

 

‘Maybe we shouldn’t do that here, Dean. The British aren’t exactly known for enjoying their public displays of affection.’

 

‘Yeah? Look behind you.’ Dean nodded across the pod, where a man in a business suit had just knelt down on one knee in front of a girl in a knee-length floral dress. She gasped as he produced a ring, nodding wordlessly and holding out her hand. He stood, and kissed her far more amorously than Dean and Castiel had been doing for the entire date. Castiel looked back at Dean, who raised one eyebrow. ‘I’m thinking the Brits don’t care.’

 

‘Trust me, at least three people are thinking it’s a disgusting display of ego.’

 

‘But do you really care?’ Dean countered. Castiel smiled, and looked at his feet for a moment, before his eyes flicked back up to Dean’s.

 

‘Let’s go,’ Castiel decided, and flashed out into the middle of a park. Dean let go of Castiel to turn around, peering through the tree line.

 

‘Where are we?’ Dean asked eventually.

 

‘The park near Buckingham Palace. I believe it’s a few minutes walk that way,’ Castiel nodded to his right, and Dean’s left, and began walking, Dean jogging a little to catch up. Eventually, the trees cleared out and they saw a huge grey building with tall gates out on front, and huge crowds swarming the gates. Dean stopped walking, frowning up at the building as Castiel walked forward a few yards.

 

‘Is something wrong?’ Castiel asked when he finally noticed that Dean was no longer with him, and turned around.

 

‘No, it’s cool, it’s just, I thought palaces looked, you know, a little more … I mean, it’s big and all. Impressive. But-‘

 

‘I understand. What would you rather do instead?’ Castiel walked back towards Dean, who slid his hands along Castiel’s jawline, stepping close and bending down to kiss him. Castiel kissed back happily, holding onto his elbows, embracing the new, affectionate side to Dean that he hadn’t truly experienced since he possessed Cassandra. He pulled away regretfully after a few happy minutes. ‘Dean, we can make out anywhere-‘

 

‘So zap us into a nice hotel room. Or one of the Queen’s bedrooms,’ Dean grinned, kissing Castiel on the forehead.

 

‘I don’t want to end the date already,’ Castiel muttered, and Dean laughed loudly.

 

‘It won’t end, there’s still a few things I can think of for us to do,’ he promised Castiel. ‘But I guess England makes me needy for some Cas.’

 

And then Dean began kissing down Castiel’s nose, catching at his mouth, and working his way slowly down Castiel’s neck, and Castiel ran his fingers up Dean’s biceps, scratching along his shoulders, up his neck and into his hair, holding Dean’s head in place as he closed his eyes and sent a silent thank you up into the ether as Dean started working on the mother of all hickeys.

 

*

 

Castiel didn’t mean to transport them anywhere while they were making out like teenagers. He’d been blissfully embracing the way Dean’s lips pressed onto his own, the way their stubble scratched together, the way Dean still tasted of the beer he’d been drinking in Italy. And the next thing they knew, they were clinging onto each other on the front end of a gondola, trying not to capsize the boat. They fell together into the cushioned seat, laughing as they checked out the new country they’d been zapped to.

 

‘Dude, is this Venice?’ Dean asked, sitting up a little and nodding a hello to the horrorstruck gondolier who had witnessed them flash in.

 

‘It appears so.’ Castiel reached into his jeans pocket, and pulled out a few notes, passing them up to the gondolier. ‘Show my man the city, please.’

 

Dean laughed, shaking his head and wrapping his arms around Castiel.

 

‘Fine, okay, show me Venice.’ The snuggled down on the bench, completely wrapped around each other, watching the old buildings slide by as they drifted along in the boat.

 

‘Dean?’ Castiel spoke up after they had passed a few blocks separated by waterways. ‘I like it when you’re like this.’

 

‘Is that your way of saying you want a second date?’

 

‘It’s my way of saying that I appreciate this level of emotional honesty.’

 

Dean’s eyes dropped from looking at Castiel, to watching his own hand as it lay against Castiel’s leg.

 

‘Yeah, well, maybe it’s being away from Sam, or being in another country. Enjoy it while it lasts, I guess?’

 

‘I wish it would last, Dean. So does Siobhan. She can be sensitive to your indifference.’

 

‘I’m not indifferent, Cas. I thought you knew where you stood with me.’

 

‘You know you haven’t made it that easy for me. Begging me for intercourse in the middle of the night then ignoring me for a week? Ignoring my requests for conversations to concentrate on Siobhan? You haven’t been fair at all.’

 

‘Can we not argue right now? And you’re wrong Cas. You know how difficult it is for me to even go there with you. But I’m trying and I’m giving you everything I have, okay? So I don’t say that I love you, I show it the best way I can. And I’m not making you wait until I’m dead anymore or we wouldn’t be here right now.’

 

Castiel sighed, and snuggled under Dean’s chin.

 

‘You’re right, I’m sorry. I guess I just get greedy for your attention. Can you blame me?’

 

Dean sighed, and wrapped his arms around Castiel, both of them sinking into silence as the boat rocked gently underneath them.

 

‘By the way, I love you too,’ Castiel eventually broke the silence.

 

‘Yeah, I got that,’ Dean said gruffly, still staring out at the scenery. Castiel looked up and watched Dean’s face, and the way the slight breeze ruffled his short locks.

 

‘Where did you want to go next?’ Castiel asked gently.

 

‘Can we enjoy the rest of the ride first?’ Dean finally looked down, catching Castiel’s eye.

 

‘Of course. We have all the time in the world.’

 

‘Great.’ Dean bent down and kissed him quickly on the chin. ‘Paris.’

 

‘Okay, next stop, Paris.’ Castiel leaned up and kissed the soft skin under Dean’s jaw, then snuggled back down into Dean’s arms.

 

*

 

Dean wasn’t expecting Paris to be so … French. Everywhere they walked, people were chattering away in fluent French, shooting Dean and Castiel dirty looks for trying to speak to them in English. Castiel suddenly burst into a long stream of solid French outside a crepe cart, and came away with a large crepe, shaped into a cone, which he handed to Dean.

 

‘Is this going to be as good as the pizza in Italy?’ Dean asked as Castiel slipped his arm around Dean’s waist. ‘What did you even have them put in it?’

 

‘Nutella and whipped cream. It’s not pie, but the French love it. You can eat it while we climb the Eiffel Tower.’

 

Dean bit into the crepe and groaned, his mouth covered in streaks of chocolate and cream. Castiel reached over and wiped the remnants of the crepe away, and Dean grabbed his hand to suck his fingers clean, licking over the tips before Castiel took his fingers away.

 

‘Oh God, it’s like hot ice cream.’

 

‘Come on, Dean, we have to join the queue of people to get up the tower.’

 

Dean smirked, and took another huge bite of crepe as he followed Castiel across the huge expanse at the base of the tower.

 

‘Empire State Building’s bigger.’ Dean muttered, getting even more Nutella over his face as he devoured the crepe.

 

‘Size isn’t everything, Dean,’ Castiel sighed, and went to wipe Dean’s face again.

 

‘Uh-uh!’ Dean moved away. ‘Not with your hands!’

 

‘You want to walk around with that stuff on your face?’

 

Dean leaned closer to Castiel, leering slightly.

 

‘I want you to lick it.’

 

Castiel sighed, but licked the chocolate from Dean’s cheek, and laughed when Dean turned his head slightly, turning the lick into a kiss. Castiel laughed into his mouth.

 

‘So, for you, dates are an excuse to kiss a lot?’ Castiel managed to say in between enthusiastic kisses.

 

‘Not normally.’ Dean insisted, pulling Castiel closer by his shirt.

 

‘So I’m just lucky?’ Castiel smiled. Dean rested his forehead against Castiel’s.

 

‘I think I’m the lucky one.’

 

‘Come on, Dean, we can do this at the top of the tower.’ Castiel accepted a few more kisses, before making Dean let go, and pulling him over to one of the corners of the tower where they climbed into a small cab and rode up to the second level. They had to get out there, and Dean took Castiel’s hand as he headed into a gift shop.

 

‘Dean?’

 

‘I know, it’s a date and all, but I figure we should get something for Siobhan. And Sam too, he might get real whiny about us touring Europe while he babysits.’

 

So Castiel followed Dean into the gift shop, and somehow they agreed on some tacky tourist gifts for Sam and Siobhan before heading into a new cab, and riding all the way to the top of the tower. They reached the observation deck, and Dean headed for a window, looking out at the streets of Paris mapped out below them. Castiel stood back slightly, watching as Dean looked out, smiling slightly as he located the Louvre and other landmarks he’d heard of over the years. It soon dawned on him that Castiel wasn’t there, and he turned around slowly, his smile growing as he saw the angel, a few yards away, watching him intently. He nodded his head over at the window, and looked back out, hoping that Castiel knew he was hinting at wanting company. It took a couple of moments for Castiel to cross the space between them, where he stood behind Dean and rested his head Dean’s shoulder.

 

‘You’re a lot more affectionate on dates than you normally are,’ Castiel whispered into Dean’s ear.

 

‘Yeah, well, it’s a date. Right?’

 

‘Are you happy, Dean?’

 

Dean turned around, catching Castiel’s hands in his.

 

‘Yeah, I am, actually. I never thought I’d have a tour through Europe for my first date with anybody.’

 

‘Well, there are other places we can go. I’ll take you anywhere, Dean. Asia, the bottom of the ocean, the view from a black hole.’

 

‘Maybe save them for other dates. I’m good with where we are now. And oxygen might be a problem for me.’

 

‘I’d keep you safe, Dean.’

 

Dean snorted a laugh, and stepped even closer, their noses touching, chests bumping together.

 

‘I don’t doubt it.’

 

*

 

After walking through the streets of Paris for a couple of hours, hand in hand, stopping every so often to point something out, or to kiss each other, Castiel announced he was finally tired of France. Before Dean could protest, they were in some rocky cove in the early twilight, a sandy beach below their feet and clear blue sea lapping the nearby rocks. Dean looked around, disoriented.

 

‘Cas? Where are we now?’

 

‘A small uninhibited island in the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a tourist spot normally, but all the day visitors leave before the sun sets. I believe the last tour boat is going now,’ Castiel nodded to the edge of the cove, where there was indeed a large speedboat, full of people in brightly coloured clothes, some with equally bright sunburns. Dean cocked an eyebrow at him.

 

‘So we’re sneaking onto this island?’

 

‘It should be fine, Dean. Comino doesn’t even have many birds. We can walk over the Island, or go swimming, or just sit and chat.’

 

‘There’s another option,’ Dean smiled. Castiel frowned, not understanding Dean’s intent. Dean wound his arms around Castiel once more, his hands working their way under Castiel’s shirt. ‘We’re on an abandoned island, right? Wanna practice for baby number two?’


	20. Chapter 20

Sam was having an easy time with Siobhan for once. They were cuddled together on the sofa in the TV room, Bear under Siobhan’s arm and a big bowl of popcorn on Sam’s lap. Frozen was playing on the screen in front of them, and Sam, safe in the knowledge that Dean and Castiel were most likely drinking together in the local bar pretending they weren’t on a date, belted out all the songs along with the movie, doing silly voices for Siobhan’s entertainment. She was singing along where she could too, asking endless questions about the movie. Why would they sell ice? Can she build a snowman? Was she a princess like Elsa and Anna?

 

Somehow, they slowly stopped paying attention to the movie, instead focusing on their conversation, which seemed to follow the theme of “If Siobhan was a Princess.”

 

‘So what would your castle be made out of?’ Sam asked.

 

‘Um, gingerbread. Pink gingerbread and purple frosting and sparkle sprinkles everywhere.’

 

‘Sounds yummy, what if the villagers ate your castle?’

 

‘It’s a magical castle, it would grow back! And you’d live there, and Mommy, and Daddy, and Bear, and Pony, but no bad Balthazar.’

 

‘No, Bad Balthazar would be locked in a dungeon.’

 

‘No, he’d be in bad man land, with all the other nasty things Mommy and Daddy don’t like. And the sky would be full of rainbows and I’d go flying every day and have lots of new pretty dresses and a sparkly tiara.’

 

‘Would Mommy and Daddy be the kings?’

 

‘Yes. Do you want to be the Queen?’

 

Sam chuckled.

 

‘Nah, I’m good with being a prince. Can I be Prince?’

 

‘Yeah!’

 

‘So would I have Prince outfits?’

 

‘Yeah, you’d look like Hans,’ they both turned to look at the movie, where Hans had just shut a sickening Anna in a room. ‘But you’d be a lot nicer.’

 

‘That’s because I wouldn’t want to be in charge. I wouldn’t be able to have as much fun.’

 

‘Do you think Mommy and Daddy don’t have fun?’ Siobhan suddenly pouted.

 

‘I think they do, but the thing about being a grown up is that you have to be responsible a lot. And the more you’re responsible for, the less time you get for fun.’

 

‘Do I stop Mommy and Daddy having fun?’ Siobhan whispered quietly, her lip quavering. Sam felt stymied. How was he going to explain this to her so she understood without upsetting her further?

 

‘Of course not. Mommy and Daddy have fun when they can - like on the date they’re on right now - but they spend a lot of time worrying that you’re safe, and happy, and that there are less bad things in the world. They’ve got tough jobs. But you had fun with Daddy earlier, right? Playing together all day?’

 

‘Yeah,’ she didn’t sound convinced.

 

‘Sweetie, what’s bothering you?’ Sam pulled her into a hug with one arm.

 

‘They don’t want me there.’ She started crying, looking up at Sam with a puppy dog look he would have been proud of. The contrast of her blue eye and her green eye made her look even more pathetic.

 

‘I’m sure that most of their conversation is going to be about you.’ Sam tried to reassure her.

 

‘But you don’t want me here either. You say I need to stay out of your crap and I’m a pain in your ass. That’s what you tell Daddy.’

 

‘Siobhan,’ Sam hugged her harder, feeling her tiny bones digging in. ‘Sometimes I get mad, but everyone does. Daddy gets mad at people a lot, but only because he wants what’s best for them. Same with you, okay? Sometimes people yell when they care so much they don’t know what else to do.’

 

Siobhan snuggled into her uncle’s arms, practically choking Bear as she clung to her.

 

‘Uncle Sam?’

 

‘Yeah?’

 

‘Don’t get mad.’

 

‘Why would I get mad, sweetie?’

 

‘It’s just, Bear says … Bear thinks … why do you smell like demons?’

 

Sam hadn’t been prepared for that change in direction.

 

‘It’s a long story, Siobhan, and Daddy says you don’t like any of us talking about being hunters.’

 

‘Are you a demon?’ She whispered, her eyes wide as her face paled. Sam felt old issues threatening to bubble up as Siobhan looked at him like Dean used to. She was too young to use the word, but Sam felt sure if she’d known it, she would have called him a freak. He forced himself to answer as straight as he could, without scaring the kid further.

 

‘No. It’s complicated, okay? But when I was a baby, even younger than you, a demon cursed me. Daddy and my Dad, they tried to make sure it wouldn’t hurt me, that I’d be a good person with this curse. And honestly Siobhan, I don’t think about it so much any more.’

 

She didn’t look convinced.

 

‘Cursed how?’ Bear demanded, it’s voice steady despite the near strangulation. Sam sighed.

 

‘It fed … something to me. Something I can’t get rid of. Like Siobhan can’t stop being part angel.’

 

‘You’re part _demon_?’ Siobhan sounded hysterical. She wriggled out of Sam’s grasp and ran out of the room, just as Anna saved Elsa from Hans. Bear was giving Sam a dirty look, but Sam didn’t care. He stood up, running after Siobhan, following the sounds of her sobs as Bear was thrown to the floor. She ran into Dean’s room and slammed the door shut before Sam could get there. And when he tried the door, it was locked, obviously done by Siobhan’s magic. Sam found himself wishing he was as good with kids as Garth was, to be able to reassure her.

 

And that gave him an idea. Garth.

 

‘Siobhan? Remember Garth? How scared you were when Daddy and me took you to his house?’

 

All Sam could hear was a faint pounding in the room. He wondered what she was up to. But she didn’t tell him to shut up, or go away, so he carried on speaking.

 

‘You could tell he was a werewolf straight away, couldn’t you? You can see people for what they really are, right? Have I ever looked like anything other than a human to you?’

 

The pounding stopped.

 

‘Siobhan, I’m your uncle. And I’m a hunter. Yes, there’s some demon in my blood, but that’s it. And your mommy likes me, and who would know better if I was good or not than Mommy? You think he’d agree with Daddy to leave you with me if I was the bad guy? You’re the most important person to them, okay? You heard Daddy talk to Balthazar.’

 

The door opened a small way, and Sam could see her looking out through the crack in the door. He knew he still had to tread carefully. He crouched down to her eye level.

 

‘Sweetie, they won’t be long, okay? And all I’m going to do is watch some Disney movies with you, put you to bed, and wait for them to come home. That is, if you still want to?’

 

She watched him steadily, her gaze now reminding him of Castiel’s glare. How did she do that?

 

‘Come on, Siobhan, I know all the words to Frozen. And hey, if you promise not to tell Daddy, we can watch Beauty and the Beast and have s’mores, how about that?’

 

She nodded, and the door slowly creaked open. She stepped out, clutching a rose in a small vase.

 

‘Hey, where did you get that?’ Sam smiled. She shrugged.

 

‘It was by Daddy’s bed. It’s pretty.’

 

Sam didn’t question what the hell Dean was doing with a rose on his bedside table.

 

‘It is. Maybe we should put it on the coffee table? You go and watch the end of the movie, I’ll go make the s’mores, okay?’

 

‘No. I want to help.’

 

Sam smiled, and held a hand out to the tiny girl.

 

‘Deal. I guess most of the fun of s’mores is making them.’

 

He led her into the kitchen, getting all the stuff they needed out of the cupboards, and turning on the top of the stove, skewering the marshmallows and showing Siobhan how to hold them over the heat. She giggled as her marshmallow started bubbling, and turning black, and Sam caught it between two crackers and a slab of chocolate before the goop inside could hit the cooker, pressing it down and putting it on a plate, then doing the same to his marshmallow. Siobhan watched him carefully, as he slid another marshmallow on her skewer.

 

‘We’ll do a few each, how about that? Do you think Bear would want one?’

 

‘Yeah! She can’t really eat, but she can pretend.’

 

Sam smiled down at his niece, glad that she seemed to be over the demon blood revelation. She was still watching the marshmallow as it melted from the heat, and then Sam saw two crackers and a piece of chocolate fly through the air and wrap themselves around the marshmallow. Siobhan giggled as it pulled itself off her skewer and floated over to the plate. Sam shook his head in amusement.

 

‘Okay kiddo, last one!’ He helped her skewer the marshmallow, and watched as she floated the rest of the s’more over again. When the last one landed gently on the plate, Sam turned off the heat and grabbed the plate, as Siobhan grabbed the rose, and they headed back into the TV room. Bear had managed to get herself back up onto the sofa, and was glaring at Sam.

 

‘Siobhan,’ Bear started, as Siobhan left the rose on the coffee table and clambered up on the seat, cuddling her. ‘I don’t trust him.’

 

‘Oh, Bear,’ Siobhan squished her hard. ‘Mommy and Daddy love Uncle Sam, he’s okay. We made you a s’more.’

 

Sam placed the plate on the coffee table, and ignored Bear as he changed the Blu-Ray over. He grabbed the remote and sat next to Siobhan as the credits rolled, as Bear began whispering to Siobhan. Sam decided not to tell either of them that he could hear every word Bear said. That it was just like someone with _demon blood_ to say they were a nice person and they could be trusted. That Siobhan had to be more like Daddy, and not trust every body who seemed nice. Balthazar had seemed nice, hadn’t he? And he’d wanted to kill Siobhan. Sam grabbed a s’more instead, and crunching down on it, realised that the movie they’d picked was probably a good one. Maybe Bear would realise Sam was more like Beast and shut the hell up.

 

Siobhan was quiet through the entire film, chewing on her s’mores and when they were gone, cuddling up under Sam’s arm. It was only as Belle and a newly-human Beast were dancing at the end that Sam realised she had fallen asleep, her mouth smeared with sticky chocolate and marshmallow gunk. Sam lifted her gently, and made sure Bear was perched on her stomach as he carried her, and he tucked them both into bed, wiping Siobhan’s mouth gently with a wash cloth and hoping Dean wouldn’t get too mad over her falling asleep before she could brush her teeth. He kissed the top of her head and turned on the nightlight, then crossed the room, debating whether to wait up for Dean and Castiel or just go to his own room and read. The second option seemed like the smartest one, just in case Dean and Castiel were as touchy-feely as they’d been getting recently. But as he touched the door handle, he heard Siobhan stirring.

 

‘Uncle Sam? Can you stay in here? So the bad things don’t come get me.’ She said sleepily.

 

‘Sure, sweetie,’ Sam grabbed a blanket from her tiny sofa, and the cushions, and laid them on the floor by her bed, covering himself up as much as he could with the blanket, though it barely touched his knees. He reached up and took her tiny hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb as she snuggled down in the bed.

 

‘Don’t listen to Bear, Uncle Sam. I know you’re a good person. I just got scared.’

 

‘Don’t worry about it.’ He kissed the back of her hand, and listened as her breathing slowed down, got deeper.

 

*

 

Dean and Castiel stumbled back into the bunker, slightly suntanned, but bundled in huge winter jackets. Dean removed his own jacket, before he removed Castiel’s, and they crept through the silent bunker together, Dean pointing to Siobhan’s room silently, and Castiel nodding as he understood that Dean wanted to check on their daughter. They both looked in as the door creaked open, their faces identical as they took in the sight of Sam on the floor beside the bed, Siobhan’s tiny hand clasped in his, as they both slept, oblivious to Siobhan’s parents returning home. Dean eased the door closed again, and slid his arm around Castiel’s waist.

 

They crept together into the next room, Dean’s room, and closed the door behind them, Dean immediately stripping off his clothes and then helping Castiel out of his, peppering the angel with kisses. Castiel kissed him back, moving them closer to Dean’s bed, both of them trying to be as quiet as possible, in case the noise carried into Siobhan’s room.

 

‘Dean?’ Castiel whispered as Dean began kissing down his neck again. ‘Did you mean what you said in Comino?’

 

‘Mmm-hmm, and what I said in Finland.’ Dean managed to mutter into Castiel’s neck, before nipping it gently with his teeth. Castiel’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment.

 

‘I want it, too.’

 

‘Then let’s get working on it,’ Dean mumbled, before working his way down Castiel’s chest. ‘But for now, we’ll just have fun practising.’

 

Castiel smiled dopily, letting Dean continue showering his vessel with attention. They’d been to Greece after Comino, and Switzerland, and Finland, and Ireland, and between the sightseeing and Dean’s constant attentions, Castiel felt like it had been the best date of his life. And the best part was, if Dean’s current project was anything to go by, it wasn’t over just yet.


	21. Chapter 21

Dean woke up feeling stiff and groggy, and slightly sweaty where another naked body was pressed against his. It took a few moments for him to remember that he’d spent the entire evening with Castiel, flashing between different countries, culminating in them sleeping together - for the third time that evening - when they got home.

 

And like every other damn time, Dean felt a deep sense of shame. Not for sleeping with Castiel per ce, but for getting together with a dude. For corrupting his friend. For - oh, God - for actually giving the angel a blow job. Castiel hadn’t complained, he seemed to be okay with it, and at the time Dean was game for it, but now? Now he couldn’t believe he’d been so brazen, so unafraid to go there with Castiel.

 

It was the same fight he had with himself all the time. Yes, he cared about Castiel, and he was proud that they seemed to be raising their kid together okay. Castiel was confiding in him a lot more, but at the same time, the whole situation still felt weird.

 

‘Dean? Are you awake?’ Castiel asked softly, running his fingernails through Dean’s hair. Dean closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation. He was glad he’d taught the angel to do that. He moved his head backwards slightly, into Castiel’s touch. Maybe he was being a total girl and over thinking it. Maybe he just had to put his doubts in a little box in his head and never go there again. Because Castiel seemed to really want him.

 

‘Mmm, I’m up.’

 

‘Your eyes are closed.’

 

‘Yeah. Keep doing that.’

 

Castiel kissed him, just by his ear, still scratching along his head. Dean opened his eyes lazily, grabbing Castiel’s chin and pulling him closer, kissing him softly. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, being in … a relationship with your best friend. Especially when he did that thing with his tongue. Like he was rolling an r in Dean’s mouth. Castiel might be an angel, but he definitely took tips from the Pizza Man.

 

‘Cas,’ Dean breathed as Castiel started kissing along his neck this time. ‘We should go check on Siobhan. Sam probably wants a break from her, by now. We can do this later.’

 

Castiel placed a final kiss on Dean’s chest.

 

‘That’s fine,’ he announced, and climbed out of the bed, pausing at the edge of the mattress. ‘Dean? What do I do about clothes? I don’t think Sam would want to see me like this, and I left my suit in the room Sam said I should change in.’

 

Dean sat up, and climbed out of the bed wordlessly, heading to his dresser and pulling out two pairs of boxers, one he threw to Castiel and one he slipped on himself.

 

‘I’ll get you a shirt too, but your jeans are fine,’ Dean nodded to the pile of clothes they’d removed in haste the night before. Castiel nodded, and dug through the pile until he located his jeans, not seeing Dean wincing as he surveyed the mess. Did he really leave their clothes like that the night before? Did Castiel? Neither of them were messy. He guessed they must have just been really into each other the night before. He grabbed a black tee and a plaid shirt and passed them to Castiel, who smiled gratefully before pulling them on, while Dean grabbed some clothes for himself. When they were both dressed, Dean walked passed Castiel, kissing him briefly on the shoulder, and headed out of the room, knocking on Siobhan’s bedroom door. Castiel waved a hand at the remaining clothes on Dean’s bedroom floor, and they jumped into his laundry basket. Once he was satisfied, he joined Dean as he pushed Siobhan’s bedroom door open. Her bed was empty, and the cushions and blanket were back on her little sofa. She and Sam were obviously already up and about.

 

Dean and Castiel found them sitting opposite each other at the table in the kitchen, bent over a jigsaw puzzle and chewing on slices of toast. They barely looked up as Dean headed for the coffee pot and Castiel sat beside Siobhan, picking up a piece of sky and putting it in place as Siobhan frowned at two pieces of sun. Sam broke the silence.

 

‘So, how was the date?’

 

‘Fine.’ Dean grunted, and slurped a big mouthful of coffee, relishing the flavour and swallowing with a sigh.

 

‘What did you do, get drunk at a bar?’ Sam smirked. Castiel looked up from the skyline in the picture that he had nearly completed already.

 

‘No, Sam, we didn’t go to a bar.’

 

‘Leave it, Sammy.’ Dean grunted, pouring another coffee and walking over to join them all, kissing Siobhan on the top of her head as he walked passed to sit beside Sam.

 

‘Did you go park the Impala in a field and talk?’

 

‘Sammy, you wouldn’t believe me if I-‘

 

‘Dean and I enjoyed a trip around Europe.’ Castiel interrupted, handing Siobhan an easy piece to add to the puzzle as Sam choked on a half-chewed mouthful of toast.

 

‘Europe? You were only gone for a few hours.’

 

‘Angel travel. And angel time,’ Dean spoke into his coffee cup.

 

‘Huh. Did you get me anything?’

 

‘It was a date,’ Dean reminded him as he finished his second cup of coffee.

 

‘Dean, you specifically took me into those tourist shops to get small gifts for Siobhan and Sam.’ Castiel reminded him, slipping an arm around Siobhan as she reached up and kissed his cheek. Dean smirked up at him.

 

‘Yeah, but I wanted him to squirm.’

 

Castiel frowned, obviously not understanding Dean’s desire to tease his brother.

 

‘I’ll go get them,’ Castiel announced, standing up from his seat, and then pausing, not moving an inch, as Siobhan grabbed her head and started making a pitiful mewing sound. Dean was up and around the table in seconds, crouching by his daughter and asking her what was wrong.

 

‘The angels are talking,’ Castiel said through gritted teeth.

 

‘What’re they saying?’ Sam asked, feeling bad that he couldn’t approach Siobhan and comfort her the way Dean was.

 

‘They’re shouting! They’re hurting my head!’ Siobhan sobbed, burying her face into Dean’s chest, still clutching her ears.

 

‘Balthazar has told other angels about her. They’re threatening to come here by whatever means they can, and remove the threat.’ Castiel said with distaste.

 

‘The bunker’s the safest place to be,’ Sam pointed out.

 

‘And you don’t think those dicks wouldn’t try whatever they could to get to her?’ Dean shot back, oblivious to Castiel’s brief look of disappointment as Dean once again referred to angels as dicks.

 

‘So what do you suggest?’ Sam asked.

 

‘We make sure the bunker’s shut down, as much as possible. I’ll watch the front door, you check the garage. There isn’t anywhere else they could get in, is there? We’ll get Bear to watch over Siobhan while we make sure they can’t get in. We’ve got enough angel blades, right?’

 

Dean, as ever, took charge without considering the issue. Siobhan’s eyes grew large and round at the mention of blades, and Castiel left the room, only to return a few moments later with a handful of blades and Bear tucked under his armpit.

 

‘Bear understands the seriousness of the situation. She’ll make sure Siobhan stays in the kitchen fixing the broken picture while we ensure this place is protected. Here,’ Castiel handed two blades each to Sam and Dean, and keeping two for himself, he eased Bear out of his armpit and placed her on the table, patting her head. He bestowed a small kiss on Siobhan’s cheek, and Dean did the same soon after, before they left the kitchen, closing the door behind them. Sam headed off to the garage, as Dean strode through the meeting room, climbing the metal stairs three at a time and testing the door.

 

‘Cas? Is this door angel-proof?’ Dean growled. Castiel shook his head. ‘Think we got enough time to write some sigils?’

 

If we do it quickly. If we need to, we can always prepare the blood spell.’

 

‘Okay, you do the sigils.’ Dean slit his hand open with one of his angel blades and started daubing the walls as Castiel grabbed a nearby spray can and started painting on the walls, across the door. It was trapping Castiel in, but it was keeping their daughter safe.

 

‘Do you think Sam is doing this as well?' Dean asked as he deepened the cut, adding more blood.

 

‘It’s Sam, he’s a very intelligent, practical person. I’m sure he’d take whichever precautions necessary.’ Castiel stood back and admired his handiwork. ‘We’ll be fully protected now.’

 

‘Good. Think you could heal my hand?’ Dean asked, holding out the one he’d cut. Castiel took it gently in his own and lifted it to his lips, kissing the wound gently, feeling Dean’s hand heal under his mouth. He looked up and saw Dean staring at him, his Adam’s apple quivering and lips slightly parted. After a few prolonged moments of eye contact, Dean cleared his throat, and looked around, withdrawing his hand.

 

‘Huh, um, we should get ready.’ He breathed out deeply and turned to look at the door, critiquing Castiel’s handiwork. A few tense minutes passed with nothing occurring, and then the ground started shaking, and plaster dust began falling from the ceiling. Dean ducked, and found his head tucked next to Castiel’s, and Castiel’s wings an invisible barrier above them.

 

‘Are you okay?’ Castiel asked breathlessly.

 

‘I’m fine, but what about Siobhan? Bear can’t know what to do in an earthquake! I’ll stay here in case the angels manage to break through, you go make them hide under the table, okay?’

 

Castiel nodded, and gave Dean the briefest peck on the lips before running down the trembling staircase, and practically flying through the bunker to the kitchen. Dean readied himself in front of the front door, as the shaking stopped. He listened intently, in case something was happening outside, some new plan of the angels. He clearly heard it, a minute later, when Castiel shouted his name, the panic in his voice evident. Dean gave up his defensive position and ran down the stairs himself, following the sound of Castiel’s voice. He met Sam in the passageway, who looked just as freaked out.

 

‘I wrote angel-proofing sigils on the walls-‘ Sam forced out as they hurried along.

 

‘Cas did the same upstairs, there’s a blood spell up there too, just in case.’

 

‘Where’s Cas gone?’

 

‘Kitchen.’

 

They pounded the hallways together, until they reached the kitchen, where Castiel was peering into the cupboards.

 

‘Cas?’ Dean asked, his eyes scanning the room. The puzzle, half-completed. A slice of toast with three small bite marks in it. And absolutely no sign of their daughter. ‘Where’s Siobhan?’

 

‘I thought she might be hiding in one of these, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.’

 

‘Shit. Okay, spread out, I’ll check her room, Sam, you check mine, Cas, TV room. We’ll work through until we find her, okay?’

 

*

 

They spent hours overturning the bunker, and still couldn’t find Siobhan or Bear. Eventually, they all walked back into the meeting room, feeling defeated.

 

‘We need a new plan,’ Sam greeted his increasingly angry brother and the frustrated angel. ‘She can’t have gone far, but we can’t do anything until we go out there and lie to anyone gathered. Tell them there’s no nephilim here, play dumb, act like Balthazar was starting his usual crap. As soon as they leave, we can be more thorough, coax her out with promises, whatever we need to.’

 

Castiel looked at Dean expectantly, and Dean shrugged back at him.

 

‘It’s the best plan we’ve got. She might come out from wherever she’s gone if she knows there’s no threat. Maybe she’s gone invisible.’

 

A muscle tensed in Castiel’s jaw, but he didn’t respond. Dean led the way to the front door, and Sam stepped out first, walking into the weak sunlight that dappled through the trees. He paused a few steps away from the front of the bunker, holding a hand out to stop Dean from going further. They both scanned the area in front of them as Castiel caught up, taking in the newly made crater and the blast marks from the soot that cut through it. And in the centre of the crater, in the hollowest part, there was a small, slightly charred lump.

 

Sam turned around, holding his brother’s chest as Castiel crouched at the edge of the crater.

 

‘Sam,’ Dean’s voice was murderous.

 

‘It’s Bear’s arm.’ Castiel said quietly. Dean began trying to walk forwards, into the crater, and Sam fought to keep him back.

 

‘What the fuck happened? How did Bear get out here? Siobhan? SIOBHAN!’


	22. Epilogue

Sam strode into the kitchen, where Castiel was sitting at the table, his head bowed.

 

‘Any change?’ Castiel asked, not looking up.

 

‘Nope, still drunk and refusing to get out of bed. This is bad, Cas, I’ve never seen him like this before.’

 

Castiel looked up, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed Sam.

 

‘Of course it’s bad. Our daughter’s been destroyed by my brothers. How could it be good in any way?’

 

Sam sighed heavily.

 

‘I didn’t mean it like that, Cas. I meant Dean, he’s in a bad way.’

 

Castiel just levelled his stare at Sam.

 

‘Yeah, I get it,’ Sam was sounding increasingly frustrated. ‘I’m worried about him, Cas, that’s all I’m trying to say. He never opens up when he’s hurting and he’s drinking more than normal and I’m worried he’s going to do something stupid because of this.’

 

‘He won’t. I won’t let him.’ Castiel said firmly. Sam wished he had Castiel’s confidence. Had Dean been this bad when Sam was in Lucifer’s cage? Had he wallowed in self-pity and despair and made things difficult for Ben and Lisa? Had he seemed like a complete shell? ‘And he won’t let himself. He’d see death as an easy way out of the torment he should feel.’

 

‘That’s not comforting.’

 

‘I didn’t know you wanted comforting, I thought you wished to discuss your brother.’

 

Sam was about to argue back, but then he realised what Castiel was truly trying to tell him.

 

‘I’m worried about you too, Cas. I mean, do angels get attached to their offspring?’

 

Castiel glared at Sam, and Sam held up his hands in defence, getting the hint.

 

‘Okay, okay, you’re not even meant to have them. I get it.’ There was silence between them for a short while, until once again, Sam couldn’t help himself. ‘Tell me some stuff.’

 

‘Some stuff?’ Castiel repeated, clearly confused.

 

‘Yeah, like okay, I never got why Cassandra was down with giving birth to Siobhan and looking after her in the first place. That’s a lot of expectation to place on her.’

 

‘She was practically infertile, she had polycystic ovaries. She never thought she’d be able to carry a child, let alone raise one. It was her dream to be a mother, and nature was not her friend. And she liked Dean and I, she feels like we gave her something she would never have had alone. We gave her the thing she wanted most. She knew Siobhan wasn’t really hers, and she knew there were risks to raising her, but she had hoped that she would bond with Siobhan enough that she would be like a third parent.’

 

‘So, she was cool with it?’

 

‘She was terrified her body would destroy Siobhan, but otherwise, yes. She was happy.’

 

‘And you and Dean were, too?’

 

‘Yes. Although, Dean took a little while longer to get there.’

 

‘Sounds about right.’

 

‘Your brother is a good father. Sometimes,’ Castiel paused, considering Sam for a moment. ‘Sometimes, I would watch him with Siobhan and wish that, if I ever saw my father, he would be like that with me. I don’t think your father was ever so kind and patient as Dean was with Siobhan.’

 

‘No, but I think Mom was. Dad was more of a disciplinarian.’

 

‘Maybe Dean is more of a mix. Did he say anything when you went to visit him?’

 

'No, he was passed out on the bed, surrounded by empty bottles. It’s been a week, Cas. It’s going to get easier, right?’

 

Castiel, shrugged, and stood up.

‘

I’ll go and talk to him. He may be more responsive with me.’

 

Sam nodded, and headed for the coffee maker as Castiel left the room. He averted his eyes from the closed door of Siobhan’s room, as they had been since they realised that she’d been killed, most likely when they throughout there was an earthquake. He knocked softly on Dean’s door, pushing it open when there was no reply.

 

The room stank, a mix of stale sweat, bad breath and the sour smell of whatever alcohol Dean had been able to get his hands on during the last week. Castiel crossed the room, stepping over the shards of broken bottles that he guessed Dean had thrown against the wall in various stages of his grief, before he made it to the bed, and sat beside Dean’s prone form. Castiel reached over and pressed a finger gently to Dean’s forehead, waking him up and removing Dean’s hangover.

 

‘What?’ Dean grouched. Castiel traced his finger down Dean’s face, but Dean swatted him away, rolling over so Castiel could only see his back.

 

‘Dean,’

 

‘I need a drink.’

 

‘I miss her too.’

 

‘I know.’

 

It was quiet between them for a moment, and Castiel fought the urge to touch Dean, to try to comfort him. Dean would push him away again.

 

‘I’m not hunting any more.’ Dean eventually declared.

 

‘That doesn’t sound like you. Normally  you’d go looking for her. Death wouldn’t prevent you finding her. Look at how you’ve been with Sam.’

 

‘Yeah, well, maybe I can’t get over this.’ Dean growled. ‘We barely lasted a month with her. A month! Cassandra managed two years, and she didn’t know how to fight. And I keep thinking that she’s probably in purgatory being eaten alive by Leviathans and there’s not a damn thing we can do to stop it. We can’t save her. What’s the point?’

 

‘Don’t you want revenge? Or justice?’

 

‘No.’

 

‘Dean-‘

 

‘What would be the point? We wouldn’t get her back.’ He reached under his pillow for a whiskey flask and drained it in one go, throwing it across the room and letting his arm flop heavily on the mattress. Castiel decided to act on his impulses, and lay down on the bed, cuddling up to Dean. He kissed Dean’s neck gently.

 

‘I’ve been to purgatory, a few days ago, and I couldn’t see any sign of her.’ He whispered. ‘I don’t know where she is Dean, but I intend to find her.’

 

Dean nodded, turning around to face Castiel.

 

‘I’m still not gonna hunt. Not unless you’ve found her and need my help.’

 

‘What will you do while you’re waiting for me?’

 

‘I’m a legacy, right? I’m going to go through everything they’ve got, see if there’s any reference to what happens to nephilim when they’re killed and how we can resurrect her. Those nerds must have something we can use.’

 

‘If you find anything, pray and let me know.’

 

Dean nodded, and reached behind Castiel for a half-drained bottle of bourbon. Castiel sighed as Dean began gulping it down also.

 

‘I don’t feel right, trying to figure out the logistics of another child now,’ Castiel said quietly. Dean nodded.

 

‘Yeah, we screwed up enough on this one.’

 

‘We didn’t screw up, Dean. I still don’t comprehend how she left the bunker. Or why. She and Bear knew the outcome-‘

 

‘There was a vent in the bathroom low enough and big enough for them to crawl through. Sam checked it out, it comes out near the trees. I don’t know why she left either. She was scared of fighting, why would she walk into one?’

 

‘Maybe one day, we’ll find out.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is one more part of this verse to come. I know it's not the best thing out there, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I had fun with things like Dean and the daycare people, and Cas working out how to feed a two-year-old. And all of Sam's interactions with his niece (he loved her really ;) )


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